Meant To Be
by Creirdyddlydd
Summary: When the Doctor and Jack need to hide from the Family, an excited TARDIS lands them in 1913. An instant attraction between the Doctor's human counterpart, John Tyler, and the school librarian, Rose Tyler, makes Jack worry and the TARDIS pleased. This story assumes the Doctor did not meet Rose Tyler in 2005 and Jack has been travelling with him since the Blitz.
1. Chapter 1

This will be a different interpretation of Human Nature/Family of Blood. Not only is this a Doctor who did not meet Rose in 2005 (but will meet her here), it also has a non-immortal Jack who is still traveling with the Doctor. And the Family is hardly mentioned because the purpose of the fic is the relationship between the Doctor/John and Rose. Basically, _**loosely**_ based on that arc. Also, can't find Farringham on any maps of England (only Farringdon), so I just assumed it was near London. Just wanted to give you all a heads up. Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 1

* * *

The Doctor clutched at Jack's shoulders after they had raced into the TARDIS. "Did they see you?!"

Jack took a step back from the worried man and his own eyes widened when he saw the panic in the Doctor's expression. "I don't think so. What's going on, Doc?"

"The Family." The Doctor raced to the console and began frantically jumping around it as he pulled levers, pushed buttons and flipped switches. "They're hunters who want to inhabit a Time Lord's body and will use any means necessary to accomplish it."

Jack tried to help with the controls as much as possible, but mainly tried to stay out of the Doctor's way. "Isn't there a way to escape them? Through time or something?"

"Trying it now." The TARDIS shuddered and the Doctor barely managed to hang onto the console. He muttered an alien curse as he watched the monitor. "What?" He tried again and felt his stomach drop when they reappeared. "They can apparently travel through time as well. Hang on, Jack. Allons-y!"

The other man quickly grabbed the railing and did his best to hold on for the next few tension filled moments as the Doctor tried again and again to escape the Family, only to curse when they reappeared on the monitor every time. After a particularly violent shudder, Jack lost his grip and went tumbling down to the grating and sliding across the floor as the time ship lurched sideways.

The Doctor pulled at his hair and muttered to himself as he paced. Everything his clever mind conjured up either wouldn't work or didn't work as he tried various maneuvers with the TARDIS. His eyes caught on the watch chain hanging from Jack's pocket and then flickered to the chest he kept under the grating. He really didn't like the plan that was forming, but it may be the only thing that would work.

Jack was just hoisting himself up from the grating when the Doctor spun to face him, a grave expression on his face. "There might be a way."

Jack paused at the look the Doctor was giving him, but decided to carry on. The Doctor was his friend, they had travelled together for almost two years, and he completely trusted him. "Whatever it is, Doc, you know you can count on me."

"Good man, Jack." The Doctor shot him a smile, but it was too manic to be anything other than forced and didn't conceal the deep down concern the Doctor was carrying. His brown overcoat swished and swirled as he moved around the room, collecting various components and quickly hooking a machine with a helmet into the console. As he bent to retrieve the chest from under the grating he explained. "The Family may be able to follow us where ever and whenever we go, but they have a very short lifespan. We would only need to hide for three months and then we'll be rid of them. Well, I say three months, but that's as long as they don't find a different body to inhabit. That's a risky move for them, though. They could inhabit a body that gets run over by a train or falls off a cliff. At least in their natural form, they know how long they have." The Doctor clicked his jaw shut, realizing he had been rambling in his nervousness. "I just need to shake them long enough to get somewhere relatively safe."

Jack gaped at the Doctor. "Hide? That's not usually how you do things."

The Doctor quit rummaging through the chest and sat back on his heels to look at Jack with wide, worried eyes. "We don't really have much choice in the matter. I'm sorry, Jack, so sorry. But this is the best plan I have."

"What about just hiding in the TARDIS for the next three months?" If it was that dire, Jack was just fine hiding out in the ship where it was safe. After all, she had infinite rooms to entertain them.

The Doctor shook his head as he continued working on his contraption. "The TARDIS can't keep going that long without landing and resting at some point."

Jack blew out a breath to try to relax himself. "Okay. What _is_ the plan, exactly?"

Brown eyes closed and the Doctor gritted his teeth. He really didn't want to do this, but he truthfully had no other ideas rolling around his genius mind at the moment. "I can turn myself human. My Time Lord conscience would be stored in this watch." He handed the object over to Jack. "If the Family can't smell me, they can't find me."

" _Smell_ you? You smell just like any other guy, Doc."

"You're not a hunter. They're like alien Bloodhounds. They hunt by scent. Time Lords smell just the slightest bit different than humans. Different chemical compositions."

Jack nodded absently and turned his attention back to the watch. "It looks like a normal pocket watch," Jack observed before handing it back to the Doctor.

The Doctor nodded as he snapped the watch into place in the machine he had cobbled together. "It will allow me to have it around and not raise anyone's suspicions." The sonic screwdriver whirred as he ran it over the watch. "I've put a perception filter on it so that I don't notice it myself. It wouldn't do any good for me to open it too early." He turned to the captain with serious, dark eyes and took a deep breath. "Jack, I don't know who I'll be. I won't remember being the Doctor and I won't remember anything about my life now. The TARDIS will create a backstory for me and she will place you in there somehow so that you can keep close to me, but I don't know what she has in mind. I'm sorry, so sorry we have to do this, but I appreciate your help." He took another deep breath and picked up the helmet. "One last thing. Well, two last things. No! Three...four! Four last things."

Jack listened, feeling a nervous weight settle in the pit of his stomach. "One, don't let me hurt anyone. B, I'm sorry if who I become doesn't treat you very fairly. I just don't know who I'll be. D, do not call me out for any reason before the three months are over. Well, unless the Family is attacking people. Then you can call me out early. And four, don't stop the transformation once it starts. I expect it to be rather painful and no matter what I do or say, do NOT stop the process."

Jack took a deep breath and tried to slow the pounding of his heart. "Okay. You can count on me, Doc."

The Doctor nodded. "It's probably best if you head to the back while this is going on. Once it's over, I'll retain enough sense to make my way outside and then you can come and find me. The TARDIS can provide you our cover story while I change."

Jack turned to head to the back, but the Doctor's voice stopped him. "Jack!"

He turned back and saw the small but genuine smile on the Doctor's face. "Thank you."

Jack just nodded and returned the smile before heading to his room. He was almost there when the screams started. He placed his hands over his ears and ran the rest of the way so he wouldn't be tempted to go out there and interrupt the Doctor.

* * *

Despite the grave situation and the danger her Thief and her Jack were in, the TARDIS was desperately trying to tamp down her excitement. She had known they were headed this way, had always known, had pulled the timelines herself, and had been eagerly awaiting the right moment for her Thief to meet her Wolf. Well, she supposed her future Wolf. The young woman would prove herself deserving of that name in time.

Knowing what was coming, the TARDIS carefully and subtly so her Thief wouldn't notice, rewrote some of the programming on the Chameleon Arch. Most of his biology changed, but his reproductive system was left mostly Gallifreyan. Her Thief and her Wolf would have enough to work through later without worrying about potential children. And later, once they were ready, he would be able to tweak himself and her Wolf enough to allow for conception. Or if they waited long enough, it could happen naturally.

Her connection with the Time Lord dampened to almost non-existent as the change completed. It was still there since his essence was alive and well in the fob watch, but to have it shrink to such a small sliver, and so quickly, hurt more than she had anticipated. To distract herself, she focused all her attention on landing at the precise moment necessary. Time for her Thief to bring their Wolf home.

* * *

Jack looked up at the TARDIS's low, pained hum which he took to mean the transformation was finished. He winced in sympathy and stroked a wall. "It hurts you to lose the telepathic connection with him, doesn't it?"

At the affirmative sound, he sighed and stood. "I'll come visit when I can and I promise to keep him safe so we can all continue our travels once this is over." He grabbed the luggage and manuscript that had been waiting for him when he entered his room. With a mischievous smile, he waved the papers at the ceiling. "How am I supposed to survive in 1913 with all the sexual repression happening here? You couldn't take us somewhere a little more…adventurous?" He waggled his eyebrows at the ceiling. "Or made the Doctor and I secret lovers?" He gave another waggle for good measure.

Jack got the distinct impression that the TARDIS would be rolling her eyes if she had any. "Alright. I promise to behave." He flicked a salute and went off to find the Time Lord turned human.

* * *

Rose hurried through the halls, trying to get the book clutched in her hand to Headmaster Rocastle quickly. While usually a nice man, he was a bit impatient and it had taken her a while to find the book in question. She took a moment to smooth any wrinkles in her skirt before knocking on his door.

"Enter!"

Rose entered with what she hoped was an apologetic smile and then noticed the man sitting across from her boss. "Oh! I do apologize, sir. I wasn't aware you had company. I was just delivering the book you requested."

Rocastle smiled warmly at her. He may have been a strict disciplinarian with the boys, but he always had a bit of a soft spot for her. "Nonsense. Come in, my dear. This is John Tyler, our new history teacher. Mr. Tyler, this is Rose Tyler, our librarian. Any relation?"

John stood quickly, looking a bit dazed by the appearance of the lovely young woman in front of him. He was suddenly so incredibly thankful that his friend Jack had just gotten a job as a maths teacher here and had put in a good word with the headmaster about him. "Oh, uh, no, no, definitely not. Hello! John Tyler, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Rose smiled prettily in return as she shook his hand. "Rose Tyler. It's lovely to make your acquaintance."

Rocastle broke the shy looks being exchanged between the two. "Thank you for bringing me the book, Miss Tyler."

Rose blinked quickly as she snapped out of her trance and then blushed as she stammered through her departure. "Oh, yes. Sorry, sir. I mean, you're welcome. I'll just return to my duties now. It was lovely to meet you, Mr. Tyler."

As the door closed gently behind her, Mr. Rocastle shot a knowing look to his new teacher but didn't say a word about the exchange. "You'll have the rest of the day to settle in, Mr. Tyler. Tomorrow, you will begin teaching classes. I hope you enjoy it here."

* * *

John Tyler couldn't get out the door of the headmaster's office fast enough. He caught sight of Rose entering the library at the end of the hall and took a second to calm himself before casually walking the rest of the way. He walked in and admired the large library, seeming impeccably clean and in top order. "This library seems to be in great care."

Rose jumped slightly and turned, not having seen or heard him enter. "Oh, Mr. Tyler! You startled me!" She took a moment to look around her workplace, smiling proudly. "Thank you for the compliment to my library. After being in charge of it for five years, I feel a bit protective of this area." She shot him a warm smile and he couldn't help but return it.

"You've been here for five years?"

Rose nodded and her gaze turned a bit distant. "Yes. My father passed away five years ago. He and Headmaster Rocastle were friends, so to help my mother and me, Mr. Rocastle was kind enough to offer me a position here."

"I'm sorry about your father. My condolences."

"That's very kind of you, Mr. Tyler. But, life hasn't been all bad. Many assume it would be without a man in the household. However, my mother is a force to be reckoned with and had part of our house converted into a bakery so we could still have a decent income." A twinkle of mischief entered her eyes and John was transfixed. "She can't cook a decent meal to save her life, but her baking skills are world class."

A startled laugh burst out of him at her cheeky statement and then he sobered quickly. "A young woman around a bunch of young men, though. They don't give you any trouble?"

Rose shook her head, amused at what he was trying to ask without actually asking it. "I haven't had any trouble with the boys. I'm afraid I'm a bit older than you realize if you think I'm in the same age group as the students."

John tried not to show how hopeful that sentence made him. He was also grateful that Rose was clever enough to catch his underlying question. "You look very young."

Rose giggled, a sound that charmed John to his very core. "I'm sure I'll appreciate that once I'm a bit older still." John seemed to be waiting for her to elaborate, so she did so with a shy smile. "I'm twenty-three years of age. Becoming a bit of an old maid, but I can't leave my mother on her own. And she tends to scare away any potential suitors. She can be quite frightening."

Rose and John shared another laugh and then Rose offered him another winning smile. "How rude of me. I've been rambling on about myself. What about you, Mr. Tyler? What brings you to Farringham?"

John smiled at her apologetically. "Actually, I should probably let you get back to your duties. And I have lessons to plan."

Rose's face fell and she straightened her spine in defense. "Right, sorry. I'll let you get on with your day, Mr. Tyler," she replied in a clipped tone.

Her feistiness enchanted him and her disappointment at his departure gave him the boost of confidence he needed. "I was hoping though, that I could answer all of your questions and ask some more of my own tomorrow, Miss Tyler. I was wondering if maybe you'd like to accompany me on a stroll after classes have ended?"

Rose's smile returned and gained a new radiance. "I'd enjoy that very much. But -," she tried for stern and ended up with a blush and bashful smile at the end, "if we will be spending time outside the school, then I must insist you call me Rose, Mr. Tyler."

John smiled a charming, lop-sided smile at her. "Then, I must insist on John."

Rose nodded with a smile. "Shall we meet here after classes tomorrow?"

John nodded. "I look forward to it, Rose."

"I do as well. I'll see you tomorrow, John."

* * *

As she entered the small home she shared with her mother that night, Rose sighed theatrically and leaned against the closed door. She shot a playful smile at her mother who was watching her with a raised eyebrow. "Well, what's got you so smitten?" Jackie went back to kneading her dough and then stopped less than a second later. "Is it the butcher's boy? Have you finally accepted his advances?"

Rose wrinkled her nose. "Ew, no!" It was perhaps a bit rude, but it was a gut reaction to the thought of courting with the smelly and oily young man down the road.

Jackie put her hands on her hips and frowned at her daughter. "There's nothing wrong with the butcher or his son! It's an honest living, Rose." She picked up a rolling pin and shook it at her daughter before rolling it over the dough. "Working at that school is giving you airs and graces."

Rose sighed before defending herself – again – against her mother's accusations about her being a librarian. "Working at the school is an honest living, too, Mum. Children need schools and schools need librarians."

Jackie waved her off and returned to her original query. "So, what had you sighing like that when you walked in here?"

Rose's grin lit up her face so brightly that Jackie couldn't help but smile in return. "A new history teacher started at the school today. And he's invited me for a stroll with him tomorrow."

Jackie put the loaf of bread she had been working on in the oven and started up the kettle for some tea. "Tell me all about him, then. And I'll want to meet this man."

Rose flinched slightly at the thought. "It's just a stroll, Mum."

Jackie turned her back to hide her knowing smirk. "Mmhmm. Still want to meet him."

Rose sighed again, this time in defeat. If her mother's mind was made up, there was nothing she could do to change it.


	2. Chapter 2

Since this is complete (except for proof-reading), I'll try to post twice a week. Probably Mondays and Fridays.

* * *

Chapter 2

* * *

Rose fiddled with her hands nervously as she waited for John to join her at the library. She knew it would take him a few moments to trade out his teaching robe for a coat and hat, but she couldn't keep her eyes from scanning the hallway for him the moment classes ended. After what seemed to be an eternity, she saw him striding quickly towards the library. As soon as he spotted her, his face stretched into a wide smile and Rose returned it.

"Well, Miss Tyler, I believe you and I had plans this afternoon." He bowed deeply and then grinned cheekily up at her.

Rose tapped her chin in mock thought. "Did we? I'm sure I would have remembered."

John stood and pouted slightly at her. At the adorable expression on his face, Rose giggled lightly. "I've been looking forward to it, Mr. Tyler."

His pout deepened into a frown and Rose tilted her head in question. "Is something wrong?"

"You called me 'Mr. Tyler'."

Rose smiled and shook her head. "You started it by calling me 'Miss Tyler'."

"Ah." John scratched the back of his neck. "It seems we're both at fault, then." He offered her his arm. "Shall we, Rose?"

As she laced her arm through his, she felt butterflies start up in her stomach. "It would be my pleasure, John."

John felt his pulse increase slightly as Rose took his arm. He knew there was a definite physical attraction between them. He just hoped they had enough in common to justify pursuing a relationship with the beautiful young woman at his side.

* * *

As they stepped out into the sunlight, Rose closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "This is my favorite time of year. I mean, you can smell fireplaces and people baking all year round, but there's something different about it in the autumn."

John nodded with a small smile as he took his own deep breath. "Winter."

"Pardon?" Rose's brow was furrowed in confusion and John couldn't suppress a smile at the charming expression.

"My favorite season is winter. Mainly because it contains Christmas, which is by far the best holiday. But I also love the snow." He blushed as he continued. "There's a certain romance to the season."

Rose's cheeks pinkened as she agreed. "That's part of the reason I love autumn as well. With all the leaves changing colors and the slight chill in the air, there's a romantic atmosphere to it."

They walked in companionable silence for a few seconds. "Christmas Eve."

Now John was the one wondering what she was talking about. Rose glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and then grinned. "Christmas Eve is the best holiday. There's still the anticipation and the excitement of the next day. Christmas Day is fun while it's happening, but you know once the day is over, that's it. On Christmas Eve, there's still some build up left."

John grinned and made a small happy sound in his throat that Rose quickly decided was the best sound on Earth. "Agreed. Do you have any Christmas Eve traditions that you and your mum participate in?"

"Oh, yes. The whole day is filled with things we've done for as long as I can remember. We spend the morning baking cookies and a few other Christmas treats while we sing Christmas carols and then we deliver baked treats to our friends and neighbors. Once the sun begins to set, we head out for a walk to look at all the holiday decorations in the village. When we get home, we have tea and some of the cookies we baked that morning while we sit and look at the Christmas tree. Some years Mum or I will read _A Christmas Carol_. And other years, we just talk." She shrugged slightly. "It may not _sound_ like much, but it is a lot of fun."

As they walked and chatted about all manner of things, John found himself feeling even more drawn to Rose Tyler than he had been earlier. She was witty and intelligent and adventurous and curious about the world and he never wanted their time together to end.

Rose was quickly coming to the decision that not only was John Tyler devastatingly handsome, but he was endless fun when it came to conversation. He was quick-witted and charming and just a bit awkward in an adorable way and didn't even realize how attractive he was. That humble nature made him even more endearing and Rose knew if those traits continued, it was only a matter of time before she was irrevocably in love with the man next to her.

"What made you want to be a librarian? Or was there something else you would have rather done?"

Rose bit her lip as she thought. "Well, circumstances being what they were, I didn't have much choice. I used to think I would rather be a pirate." She paused slightly and enjoyed the shocked look that crossed John's face. "But then I turned six and realized that wasn't the most honorable profession."

John smiled fondly and chuckled at her cheeky smile before Rose continued. "It wasn't something I would have picked, but now, I really do enjoy taking care of the library. There isn't too much to be done on a regular basis, so I spend a lot of my time reading."

"What are your favorite books?"

Rose's eyes lit up. "Any kind! You can read biographies and see what life was like in different time periods for different people. You can read non-fiction and learn all manner of strange and wonderful things. You can read adventure books and dream of far off places and daring stunts that normal people like us don't get the opportunity to experience." She sighed softly. "You can just…escape in a book."

John caught the wistful tone and something in it tugged at his heart and soul. "You want to travel."

Rose nodded with another soft sigh. "I would love to see the world outside of our tiny country. But that's not likely to happen for a mere librarian."

They walked in silence for a few seconds, just enjoying the sights, sounds and smells of autumn. "What about you? What made you want to be a teacher?"

John thought for a second. "I've always enjoyed teaching people new things and seeing the moment they truly understand. You can see it in a person's eyes when something suddenly makes sense." He paused for a second to shoot her a teasing smile. "I can't say I've ever had the urge to be a criminal, like present company."

"I was less than six!" Rose shot back indignantly, but she was quickly overcome with a giggle. "Have you ever wanted to travel?"

Something about that felt odd to John, like he _had_ traveled. But all he could remember was his life in a tiny village and then his move to Farringham a week ago. "I would love the opportunity to travel! Maybe a safari in Africa or visiting the Orient. Seeing the pyramids in Egypt or going on a skiing holiday in Switzerland. Even seeing more of England would be welcome."

Rose hummed her agreement. "That all sounds magical."

Unconsciously, John wrapped his free hand over Rose's on his arm and rubbed soothing circles on the soft skin. It wasn't until he heard Rose's quiet gasp that he realized what he had done and registered the familiarity and intimacy of such a gesture. He looked over, ready to apologize, when he saw the shy smile on Rose's face as she looked at their hands. She slowly raised her other hand to lay atop John's and then glanced up at him, wondering if this was okay. Instead of a verbal answer, John held her gaze as he laced the fingers of his hand with the one Rose had laid on top of it.

Drawing a deep breath, John broke the intense moment and looked up, surprised to see the sun setting. "I should probably get you home. It's getting late."

Rose smiled at the reluctance in his voice. She didn't want the afternoon to end either. "Probably. My mother _will_ come looking for you if I'm not home at a respectable time."

"Ah, yes. The one who scares off potential suitors." John straightened his spine, puffed out his chest, and threw his head back slightly. "I'm not easily scared off, Rose." He lowered his voice to what was supposed to be an intimidating growl. "I'm that sort of a man." Rose giggled, hoping he couldn't tell that his voice like that made her pulse race.

They reached Rose's house much more quickly than she would have liked. Walking with her arm laced through John's and their other hands linked on top was the most pleasurable thing she had ever done. Being that close she was able to smell his scent and feel his warmth, and she knew she would feel bereft once she was without it.

"Here we are. One Rose Tyler delivered home before sundown." John's eyes glittered as he smiled at her and Rose felt herself fall just a little bit more.

John unlinked their hands and began to drop the arm Rose had been hanging onto for the entire afternoon and her mind immediately started grasping at ideas to prolong their time together. "Um, would you like to stay for dinner? Mum may not be the world's best cook, but I'm decent at it." She finished with a nervous chuckle and bashful smile.

John smiled, fighting the urge to wrap the delightful woman in his arms and never let her go. "I wouldn't want to impose at the last minute." Rose opened her mouth to protest, but the feeling of John lifting one of her hands stopped her. "However, I would love the opportunity to treat you to dinner later this week if you're agreeable."

Rose felt her smile grow in wattage. "I'd love that," she whispered.

"Something to look forward to, then." John brought her hand to his lips and pressed a lingering kiss to the back of her fingers, admiring the flush that suffused her cheeks. "Goodnight, Rose Tyler."

All the air had whooshed from her lungs and she felt like her knees may give way at any second, but Rose managed to utter, "Goodnight, John Tyler."

Rose gifted him one last smile before going inside. Once the door was shut, John's face burst into a wide grin and he clicked his heels once before remembering he was in public. He smoothed down his coat and began his trek back to the school.

* * *

John gasped awake as the him in his dream had been running from round, metal monsters, their distorted cries of 'exterminate' ringing out in the background. Well, it looked like him and sounded like him, but the man in his dream was called 'The Doctor' and traveled time and space in a blue box. The Doctor was friends with a man who looked very much like his friend Jack, but was a captain of some sort. Before the dream could completely fade, John grabbed the journal beside his bed and began writing snippets that he could still grasp and doing rough sketches of the images he had seen in his sleep. Once he was finished, he looked out the window at the brightening sky and set about getting ready for the day.

The strange dreams had been plaguing him since his arrival in Farringham and he couldn't quite find a reason for them. It was a perfectly normal village with perfectly normal residents. As he heard Jack knocking on his door, he quickly hid his journal in a drawer on his desk and locked it. It wouldn't do for someone to find his dream journal and consider him mentally unstable. He would have to further ponder his dreams later.

* * *

Jack watched the Doctor – or John Tyler now – bounce around his quarters as they prepared to head out and teach classes. As he threw on his robe and gathered his papers, he was expounding on the virtues and beauty of one Miss Rose Tyler. Jack had met the young woman on his first day here, and she was captivating. However, Jack knew it would destroy the young woman when the Doctor returned and the man she had fallen for would disappear. And with the guilt complex the Doctor already had, adding a broken heart to the mix wouldn't be a good idea, to put it mildly.

"Ya know, John." Jack clapped his friend on the shoulder. "You shouldn't go getting yourself tied down. We're a couple of handsome, young men in the beginnings of a new career in a new place. Maybe we should just enjoy the single life for a bit." Jack leaned forward and let a wicked smile grace his face. "If you need to let off some steam, maybe visit the house on the outskirts of the village." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

John scoffed in disgust and made a face at Jack. "I will not visit a…," he searched for a word and then whispered, "…pleasure house." He placed his mortarboard on his head and brushed imaginary dust from his robe. "Rose is a wonderful young lady with whom I am very interested in pursuing a romantic relationship. She deserves a gentleman who will be unfailingly loyal to her, not some Neanderthal who chases pleasure where ever he may find it. Not to mention, the thought of those women has never appealed to me."

He turned to leave the room, but then spun back around to Jack. "And we're not exactly lads of twenty anymore, Jack. It's time to start thinking about our futures and finding someone to spend our lives with."

Jack followed John from the room and placed his own mortarboard on his head, frowning when the tassel hit him in the face. "Suit yourself. I still think you should slow down with Rose. You just barely met her and you're talking like she's your soulmate."

Those words would have made the Doctor scuttle back and throw up some barriers, but they had a different effect on John Tyler. He smiled softly and sighed. "Sometimes you just know, Jack."

Oh, this was not good. This was very, very not good. There was a split second where he bemoaned picking up on some of the Doctor's speech patterns, before Jack ran through every curse word he knew in his mind, vowing to rush to the TARDIS and see if he could glean anything from her during his lunch break.

* * *

The doors to the barn flew open and a blur of black charged into the blue box in the corner. "What are we gonna do?!"

He expected some sort of reaction from the time ship, but he got nothing. "Do you know what your stupid pilot has gone and done? One week! In just one week, he's managed to start falling in love with one of the young women who lives here! And she's falling in love with him! We need to stop this or they're both going to be hurt when this is all over! What do we do?"

Jack's frantic pacing drew to a halt at the continued silence from the TARDIS. "Are you even _listening_ to me?!"

There was a calm, affirmative hum and Jack slumped against the console. "I don't want either of them to suffer once our three months are up. Rose is a sweet girl and we both know how much that Time Lord blames himself for everything. What can I do?"

Jack looked at the time rotor pleadingly, hoping the TARDIS would magically grant him an answer, but she just calmly continued her normal humming. "Well, thanks for all your help. You've been great," he bit out sarcastically. A zing of electricity shot through his hands and he yelped as he yanked them away from the console.

"You're right. I'm sorry. I know there isn't much you can do from here. I'm just worried about getting everyone through this with their hearts intact." He patted the console and made his way to the doors. "I'll keep you updated."

Once outside, Jack scrubbed his hands over his face, at a complete loss. He ran through various things that caused couples to break up, but wasn't coming up with any good ideas. Infidelity was off the books, due to John's morals. He couldn't exactly bring in another party to create a love triangle either. That would just put another heart on the line. And anything else he came up with were problems that established couples may have. This romance was so new that they wouldn't have any old disagreements he could dredge up. His only hope was either talking one of them out of the relationship, or hoping they self-destructed on their own.

* * *

Timothy Latimer ducked into the library and a few seconds later, a group of older boys went thundering past. Rose looked up from her book at the smaller boy and felt a pang of sympathy. Tim was shy, intelligent and good-natured, which didn't help his standing with the privileged older boys he had in his classes. "Are you alright, Mr. Latimer?"

He jumped and spun to face Rose, then smiled haltingly. "Y-yes, I'm fine, Miss Tyler."

Rose beckoned him forward. "Are the older students giving you trouble?"

At the embarrassed shrug, Rose smiled. "Instead of running and hiding during your free period, would you like to help me with some things I need done around here?"

Tim's shoulders deflated in relief. "What do you need help with, Miss Tyler?"

"The top of the bookcases could probably do with a good dusting. And some of the higher windows don't get cleaned as often as they should." Rose smiled a little apologetically at the boy. "I realize those seem to be tasks for housekeeping, but they're so busy with the other parts of the school that I don't like to ask them for much. Also, it isn't easy for the young women to climb the large ladders needed for the windows."

Tim's face brightened. "I can do that for you."

"Thank you, Mr. Latimer. I appreciate your help. Tomorrow, then?"

The bell started to ring for the next class and Tim smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow, Miss Tyler."

* * *

Rose was in her own world, shelving books at the end of the school day when a throat was cleared behind her. She gave a startled shriek and turned quickly to find John standing behind her, smothering a chuckle at her reaction. "John, you can't sneak up on people like that!"

Apparently, the scolding lacked any heat because he continued to grin unrepentantly at her. She was unable to keep up the façade of being annoyed, so she just grinned back at him. "Was there something I could help you with?"

"I was looking for a book."

Rose blinked at the statement and then her eyes shifted to the shelves surrounding them. "Well, you came to the right place." He continued to grin at her, not giving up any more information than he already had and Rose rolled her eyes. "Was there a certain book in particular?"

There wasn't. John just wanted an excuse to see Rose and invite her out for the dinner he had promised. His mind whirled, trying to come up with something so he could continue his game. Instead, he decided to try one of Jack's approaches and go for smooth. "I was wondering if you had something on how to ask a beautiful lady out to dinner." He gave her a suave grin and put out a hand to lean jauntily on the library counter. However, the counter was farther away than he realized and he stumbled a bit. He managed to catch his balance and pulled on his jacket to straighten it as he rose back to his full height, cheeks bright with humiliation.

Rose was looking at him wide-eyed and hiding her amused smile behind her hand. When John offered her a sheepish smile, she couldn't contain herself anymore. "You know, I think you're a bit adorable, John Tyler."

She felt herself flush with her admission, but the surprised and hopeful expression on John's face made her embarrassment worth it. "Does that mean you'd allow me to take you to dinner?"

The offer chased away the rest of Rose's embarrassment. "Of course. When?"

"Tomorrow evening at 5:00? I could pick you up from your house."

"Okay."

John chivalrously took the stack of books Rose was carrying and held them for her while she shelved them. "After you're done here, would you allow me to escort you home?"

Rose grinned at the way all of his offers were asking permission, feeling a rush of affection for the man next to her. "If it's no trouble for you, I'd enjoy your company."

"No trouble at all. It would be my pleasure. Plus, it is my duty as a gentleman to make sure no harm comes to you on your way home," he teased.

Rose nodded sagely. "Ah, yes. The truly evil dangers lurking in this sleepy village that I've lived in for my entire life."

"Exactly."

As they walked to Rose's house, they chatted easily about this and that, each of them trying to walk slowly to prolong their time together. But it wasn't long before the little house and bakery was in front of them.

Rose tugged playfully at John's sleeve before letting go of his arm. "So, I'll see you tomorrow then?"

John smiled softly as he brought her hand up to brush a kiss against her knuckles again. "Wouldn't miss it for the world. Until tomorrow, Rose Tyler."

"Until tomorrow, John Tyler."

Rose bit her lip as she slumped against the closed front door. It was all happening so much faster than she had anticipated it would, but there wasn't a doubt in her mind that the deep affection she felt for John would turn into something even deeper, very, very soon.


	3. Chapter 3

Surprise! Because I'm impatient and ahead of schedule with my editing, I bring you 'the date' chapter early. Again, many thanks for your lovely reactions to the story. Each time I get a notification of some kind I get a bit giddy and can't keep the smile off my face.

Something to keep in mind for the duration of the story: I became good friends with Google while writing this story (seriously, it was constantly up), since I was trying to keep any anachronistic issues from seeping into it. If I missed anything (entirely possible), I apologize.

I mentioned this was fluff, right? *sigh*

* * *

Chapter 3

* * *

Rose sighed dreamily as she tried to get back into the book she had been reading, but it was a lost cause. All she could think about was John and the date she had with him that evening. She had her dress picked out and knew what she wanted to do with her hair, but all of that would have to wait until school let out.

"Miss Tyler?"

Rose blinked a few times to come out of the fantasy she had been building up of how her date with John could go. "Oh, hello, Mr. Latimer! Ready to do some work?"

His smile was bashful, but relaxed and Rose felt sympathy again. This was probably the only place he was safe in the school. During class, the teachers could grant permission for some students to punish others. With Tim already being a target, she had no doubt that he wasn't safe in his classes either. Well, that bullying wouldn't be happening in her library!

She pulled out a cleaning rag and some other supplies before leading him over to the ladder. "Just the tops need a good cleaning. I try to keep the other shelves fairly clean, but I just can't reach the top."

Tim raised an eyebrow as he looked at her. They were basically the same height, so he had no idea how he was supposed to reach the top if she couldn't. As if reading his mind, Rose smiled at him. "I get a little unsteady after the second rung up the ladder."

Tim nodded in understanding. "Then I'll be happy to help you, Miss Tyler."

* * *

Rose fretted by fluffing pillows and brushing non-existent dust off the furniture while she waited for John to show up. Her mellow, daydream-filled afternoon had morphed into an evening filled with frenetic energy. Jackie laughed softly at her nervous daughter. "Rose sweetheart, come sit down. You'll work yourself into a right state before himself even gets here!"

Rose looked into the mirror by the door and checked her hair. Not a single strand had shifted from its place in the ten seconds since she last checked it. "I'm so nervous, Mum! I mean last time it was just a walk through town, but this is a proper date. What if I mess up or don't know what to say to him or it all gets awkward?"

Jackie finally managed to coax Rose to sit on the couch by placing an arm around her shoulders and leading her there. "You had plenty to talk about during your walk. You've mentioned small chats with him during the school day. He walked you home yesterday. I'm sure everything will be fine. Just try to relax."

Rose stubbornly muttered, "Easier said than done."

Before Jackie could offer any more advice, there was a soft knock on the door. Rose shot out of her seat to go answer, but her mother materialized in front of her with her hands on her hips. "I'll get it. I want to meet this John Tyler I keep hearing about."

John was smiling like the cat that got the canary when the door opened and in his nervousness, he thrust the small bouquet of flowers he held almost into the face of Jackie Tyler. Immediately, he realized his mistake and fidgeted uncomfortably for a few seconds. "Oh, um, Mrs. Tyler! Um, pleased to meet you. John Tyler, err, I'm John Tyler. Sorry."

He belatedly realized he was still holding the bouquet very close to her face and figuring it would be rude to yank them back, he stammered for a second. "Uh, these are for you?"

As the last statement came out like a question, Jackie let loose an amused smile. "Shut up, you plum. I know those are for my Rose. Come in."

John shuffled into the house, cheeks flaming. When he caught sight of Rose, his embarrassment abated and his smile grew. He took in the soft, barely off-white ruffled tiers that made up her dress and the pink sash tied around her waist. Her hair was curled into ringlets and gathered at the crown of her head with a few loose pieces framing her face. "You look beautiful, Rose."

The soft admission and the way he looked at Rose caused Jackie to hide her smile behind her hand. It may be a bit premature to say it, but Jackie knew a loving look when she saw one. When he thrust the flowers at Rose the same way he had with Jackie, she rolled her eyes but had to admit it made her feel better. Seeing him this nervous probably meant he had very little experience with women. It was a relief to know her baby girl wasn't getting swept off her feet by some suave Casanova who would leave her heartbroken.

After placing the flowers in a vase, Rose took John's proffered arm and headed for the door. "Now hang on," Jackie ordered and they both looked back at her. "I want Rose home before midnight. And I want you to behave yourself, John Tyler. Rose is a lady and should be treated as such."

"I promise you I have the utmost respect for Rose, Mrs. Tyler. I'll have her home on time."

Jackie nodded and followed them to the door. "In that case, have a nice evening."

Rose waited until they were out of earshot of the house before speaking. "You actually survived that."

John grinned down at her. "Your mother isn't _that_ scary, Rose Tyler. Mind you, I have no doubt she could be."

Rose giggled. "That's the truth." She itched to link her hand with his again, but didn't want to make that bold a move. So, she settled for linking her hand with her own on top of his arm. An invitation, but also natural if he didn't pick up on her silent request. "Where are we going for dinner?"

John sighed and looked up at the sky. "I wanted to take you somewhere special. Somewhere maybe a little romantic." He scratched at the back of his neck. "But there really isn't anywhere like that in this little town. The downside of not living in the city proper, I guess."

Rose nodded in agreement, then gave a sigh of pleasure as she felt his hand lace through hers. She felt a slight tug on her hand and looked up to see a playful expression on his face. "So I hired a carriage to take us into the city."

Rose smiled widely in excitement. "What? Really?"

He led her over to a small carriage and thanked the driver as he opened the door for them. "I realize carriages are a bit old-fashioned, but cars are hard to find if you don't live in the big city," he explained apologetically.

Rose shook her head as she got situated on the heavily cushioned seat. "Are you kidding? This is fantastic! Cars are so smelly and loud that you can't really have a proper conversation in one."

John beamed at Rose, pleased that she was so excited about the carriage. "Have you ever been into London, Rose?"

"Not since my father passed. Mum wasn't really much for going into the city. She's just fine with staying here in the village all the time."

John settled in next to Rose on the small bench seat and grinned. "Then it's time for an adventure, Rose Tyler!"

As the carriage began its trek to London, John frowned at the loss of Rose's arm. Here in the carriage, there was no need for them to be linked together, but he enjoyed it. Deciding Rose had seemed to like it as well, and he wouldn't know unless he tried, he slowly wrapped his hand around hers that was resting on the seat next to him. When her hand turned slowly to allow him to interlock his fingers with hers, he lifted his eyes to see Rose biting her lip against a timid smile. When she looked up and found him watching her, she smiled wider and swept her thumb along his hand.

A few minutes passed in silence as they each basked in the feeling of each other's hand. Finally, looking for something to talk about, Rose latched onto something that had been concerning her. "Do you have Timothy Latimer in any of your classes, John?"

John thought for a moment, still trying to learn the names of all the students. "Younger than the other boys? A bit prone to getting into trouble?"

Rose frowned slightly. "That's just it, though. I don't think he actually does anything to get in trouble. Being younger and smaller, he's become an easy target for the other boys to bully. I'm concerned that they take any opportunity they can to _say_ he's causing trouble so they have an excuse to beat him."

John smiled down at her. "Rose Tyler, trying to right all the wrongs in the world."

There was warmth in his words, but Rose got the unpleasant feeling of being patronized. When she looked up to gauge his expression, the adoring smile made her stomach flip, but she had to make sure he understood. "He's been helping me in the library during his free period to escape what he's been going through. I think he feels safest in there."

John's expression sobered as she explained and he nodded as he ran his thumb over her hand, sensing how important this was for her. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

That statement caused Rose to slip even further down the imaginary hill. Before long, she'd be completely smitten with the man next to her. "Would you just make sure none of his punishments are beatings if he _does_ deserve a reprimand?"

"Your wish is my command."

* * *

As the London skyline came into view, Rose took everything in with glittering eyes and an excited smile. "John, this is beautiful!"

The two took turns pointing out landmarks and commenting on various sights until Rose turned to him with a bright smile. "Thank you," she breathed and he could see in her eyes how sincere she was.

"Don't thank me yet, Rose. The night's still young!" The carriage pulled up to a small restaurant and John grinned. "Here we are."

After helping Rose down from the carriage, John led her into the restaurant and watched her take in the scenery. There were several booths lining the walls of the restaurant, with high backs to ensure a measure of privacy. Each table had a single candle to provide just enough light to see and offer a romantic atmosphere. A four-sided fireplace – something Rose had never seen before – blazed in the middle of the room. A dance floor made up the area surrounding the fireplace and a band played quietly in one corner. When Rose's face split into a beaming smile and her hand tightened on John's arm, he figured he had done well.

Rose was so enthralled by the ambience and atmosphere of the restaurant that she hadn't even noticed John and the maître d speaking until they were suddenly in front of one of the booths. She slid onto the bench seat and smiled politely at the maître d as a menu was placed in front of her.

When they were alone again, Rose grinned at John. "This place is incredible! How did you know about it?"

"Headmaster Rocastle," he grudgingly admitted after a short pause.

Rose tried to contain her laughter at the image of one of her father's oldest friends giving John dating advice.

John frowned at the memory of being pulled aside by his employer. "He said if we were going to begin a relationship – and believe me, he had a lot to say on that matter – then I needed to take you somewhere special."

The soft touch to the back of his hand made him look up at the sweet smile Rose was giving him. "Just remember, my father and Headmaster Rocastle were friends. He's seen it as his duty to his friend to make sure my mother and I were looked after. You may have more uncomfortable conversations with him. I'm sorry."

John turned Rose's hand palm up on the table and watched his own hand draw gentle patterns across her palm. "I'll endure many more of those horrible chats…if it means I can have more moments like this," he confessed quietly.

Rose exhaled shakily and curled her fingers up so they just barely trailed along John's palm as his fingers played along hers. Finally, she gathered herself enough to look up at John from under her eyelashes. "I like this moment, too."

John caught sight of a waiter approaching their table and drew back from Rose. He cursed and blessed the waiter for his arrival. Though he very much enjoyed stroking Rose's hand, they needed something to snap them out of the intense moment.

* * *

Conversation was flowing easily as they finished eating until the volume of the band grew, making conversation more difficult. Instead of getting frustrated with the aborted conversation, John motioned to the couples beginning to inhabit the dance floor. "Would you like to dance?"

Rose nodded and smiled as John helped her up from the booth. Taking a clear spot on the dance floor, she blushed as she placed a hand on John's shoulder and felt his hand gently slide along her waist to the small of her back. He lifted her free hand in his and grinned brightly as he began to lead them around the dance floor.

Even though she relished being in his arms, Rose had to stop four songs later. "I'm afraid my feet are protesting the dancing," she admitted. Her breath caught as John pulled her a bit closer to whisper in her ear.

"Ready to go?"

The thought of having their evening end so soon caused a slight pout to form on her face.

John leaned back in with a grin after seeing her expression. "Not to head back home, yet. Just leave the restaurant."

Rose nodded and took his arm as they headed out into the evening. "Did you have anything else planned for tonight?"

John glanced over to a park across the street at the next intersection and then frowned as he considered Rose's aching feet. With an inspired glance up at the sky, he started to lead Rose to the park. "Well, I had thought maybe a walk through the park. But I have another idea, since your feet hurt."

Rose began to protest, feeling guilty for derailing his plans. "John, don't change your plans because of me! I'll be alright."

John grinned down at her. "But this plan is better than just a walk!"

As they stepped onto the gravel path, John spotted a bench near the fountain that would be the perfect spot. "Do you know anything about the stars, Rose?"

Surprised by the question, Rose furrowed her brow for a second. "Not really. I enjoy looking at them, but I've never studied them."

As they sat on the bench, John scooted closer to Rose. "We won't be able to see much with the bright city lights of London, but we can see some." With his proximity, his scent, his warmth, and his voice murmuring in her ear, Rose found it hard to concentrate on what he was saying.

Similarly, John was pointing out various stars, but he was only vaguely aware of what he was saying. Most of his attention was focused on the areas where he and Rose were pressed together and the intoxicating scent of her perfume.

"How do you know so much about the stars?"

John had hazy recollections of a stuffy old school teacher shoving the knowledge down his throat. "I had a teacher when I was in school who was ruthless in teaching us everything he could about what's out there." He wrinkled his nose playfully at her. "He was cold and unforgiving, but now I can appreciate the effort he put into teaching us so much."

Rose stood and grabbed John's hands to pull him to his feet. "All right, John. You spend most of your time teaching people things. Let's see if _I_ can teach _you_ something." Linking their arms, she led him over to the small greenhouse situated in a corner of the park. Upon entering, Rose felt relieved that she recognized every plant she could see. This would have been immensely embarrassing if they were growing exotic plants she had no knowledge of. She took John around the greenhouse, naming each plant and its uses. Some had medicinal purposes and she expertly lectured about those. Others were merely decorative and she explained the meaning of each if they were given as a gift.

With a besotted smile and borrowing her question from earlier, John asked, "How do you know so much about flowers?"

"Librarian," she answered flippantly, as if that explained everything, but then she continued. "And we live next to the Miller twins."

Rose took the opportunity to observe John as he squinted at the ceiling and slightly chewed his bottom lip in thought. _Oh._ She hadn't expected the expression to be that appealing or to cause her stomach to flip like that. "Lily Miller is the florist who lives next to you. She has a twin?"

Rose nodded. "Her twin sister sells herbal medicines at a shop more towards the center of the village."

"What's her sister's name?"

Rose grinned. "Petunia."

John just blinked. "They deal with flowers and are named after flowers?"

Rose giggled. "You can admit that it's awful. Being named after a flower isn't so bad if you're an only child and you have no profession with flowers. But to deal in flowers and sound like you're part of a bouquet, it's a bit much."

John shook his head with a fond grin at the cheeky expression on Rose's face. "Come on. Let's see if we can find anything else we'd like to do."

* * *

As they wandered down the streets, the sound of a scuffle down one of the alleyways caused them to pause and look at each other. John wanted to help, but more than that, he wanted to get Rose as far away from any trouble as possible. His arm tightened around her hand and he began to hurriedly try to walk away from the sounds when Rose stopped him short. "John, someone's in trouble. We need to help them," she whispered.

The panic in John's eyes almost broke her heart. "I can't take you into something like that. And I can't leave you here unguarded."

Indignation and Tyler pride flared hot in her chest. "John Tyler! I am perfectly capable of looking after myself and I will not be bundled away to safety while someone is in danger!"

John's jaw tensed and he nodded once before slowly inching back to the alleyway. He and Rose peered around the corner and saw a well-dressed man and what appeared to be a homeless man staring at each other. John pulled back and looked at Rose. "I'll help the gentleman subdue his attacker and then we can all escort him to the police."

Rose's brow furrowed and she shook her head. "The gentleman – and I use that term loosely – is not the victim. Look again."

Confused, John peaked around the corner again to see the well-dressed man strike the homeless man. "How dare you ask me for money?" Another slap. "Get a job and quit living off the goodwill of others! Better yet, die and save us all the misery of dealing with you!"

Rose tapped John's shoulder, pointed at the rubbish bins across the alley and whispered a plan into his ear. Silently, she tiptoed across, grabbed the empty bin, and stealthily snuck up behind the man.

John was a wreck as he watched Rose get closer, but had to acknowledge she had a good plan.

Rose gathered momentum and swung the bin as hard as she could against the man's head, knocking him unconscious. John was supposed to run up after Rose swung the bin and subdue the gentleman before he could turn his anger on her, but it seemed that wasn't necessary. Rose quickly handed him a length of rope that the homeless man had in his possession and John was able to tie the man's hands together.

Rose knelt next to the victim while John was busy tying the other man up. "Are you alright?"

"Oh, miss. Thank you," the older man wheezed. "If only there was more of your kind in the world."

Rose helped him to his feet. "You may want to go somewhere safer. Unfortunately, I fear this man may be out of prison very quickly and he may come back looking for you."

The man nodded and gathered the few belongings he had. When he turned back around, Rose placed a few coins in his palm. "Find somewhere warm to stay for tonight and get yourself something to eat."

"Oh, miss. I couldn't possibly…"

"You can and you will," Rose interrupted gently with a smile.

The man's eyes misted and he smiled sheepishly with a small bow at Rose. "Thank you, miss."

As he hobbled away, Rose returned to John's side, who looked like he was seeing something miraculous. "Let's get _this_ to the police." Rose turned her nose up at the man on the ground.

* * *

After delivering the rubbish – as Rose had taken to calling him – she and John headed back towards the carriage.

"I'm sorry, Rose."

She looked up to find John rubbing the back of his neck, a sullen expression on his face. "What are you apologizing for?"

"Our date wasn't supposed to include crime."

Rose giggled. "This is the most fun I've had in a long time! Don't apologize." She hugged John's arm slightly in her giddiness.

"Really?"

She could still detect a hint of guilt in his voice, so she let go of his arm and placed herself slightly in front of him, walking backwards with her hands clasped behind her back and a cheeky grin firmly in place. "First of all, you took me on a carriage ride into London. Then, we had a wonderful dinner and danced in the most romantic restaurant I've ever seen. You took me to a beautiful park and taught me about the stars. I taught you about the plants in the greenhouse, knowledge I never thought would come in handy. You took me on a stroll through London and told me stories about various places we saw. And we saved a man's life. You were absolutely brilliant during that, by the way."

"I didn't really do anything," John blushed as he tugged on his ear.

She stopped walking backwards and stepped up to John, who was looking at her like she hung the moon. "When this evening started, you promised me an adventure. I'd say you delivered and I am completely grateful."

John ran the backs of his fingers down her soft cheek. "Rose Tyler. You are simply amazing."

Rose leaned slightly into the touch and then lifted her head and smiled. "Are you done thinking this night was a disaster? Because I certainly have a different opinion of it."

John sighed. "Alright. Maybe it wasn't all bad," he allowed with a tiny smile. "Come on, let's get you home before your mother has a reason to hunt me down."

With a flourish, the driver opened the carriage door to let them inside.

* * *

Rose laughed happily but it was cut off as the carriage lurched and then stopped abruptly. John's arm shot out to keep her from tumbling to the floor and she sighed shakily from the rough movement. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Just didn't expect it is all." She grinned brightly at him, still pleased with their impromptu adventure.

John swallowed thickly, gathering his nerves to do something bold. He scooted closer and wrapped an arm around Rose's shoulders. When she looked up at him with wide-eyes and flushed cheeks, he whispered, "Just in case the ride gets rough, again."

Rose nodded and then made her own daring move by scooting over more into his side and leaning her head on his shoulder. John reached over and brought Rose's free hand up on his knee and started playing with her fingers. As he did this, the fingers of the hand around her shoulders began tracing light circles along the skin of her upper arm. With a sigh of contentment and a beaming smile, Rose watched him play with her fingers as they headed back to the village.

All too soon for either of their liking, the carriage drew to a stop outside Rose's house. Reluctantly, Rose lifted her head from John's shoulder after taking one more deep breath of his clean scent. As she looked up, she realized their faces were incredibly close. His eyes flickered quickly from her eyes to her mouth and back up again and Rose turned her head to break the intense stare. She was so tempted to let John kiss her, but it felt just a little too soon. After the carriage door was opened, John helped Rose down and kept her hand tucked in his as he led her to her doorstep.

"Thank you for a wonderful evening, John. It was brilliant. I mean it." She smiled brightly at him.

"Thank you for gifting me with your company this evening. I enjoyed it." He was playing with her fingers again, whether because he didn't want their time together to end or because he was unsure of what to do next, Rose didn't know.

Coming to a decision, she drew a breath for courage and leaned up to press a lingering kiss to his cheek. "Thank you again. Goodnight, John."

Before she could retreat and hide her flaming cheeks, John followed her and kissed her cheek in return. "Your welcome, Rose. Goodnight," ghosted across her ear and she barely managed to suppress a shiver. With one last smile, she slipped inside her house and frantically tried to fan away the heat she could feel in her cheeks.


	4. Chapter 4

In the beginning, I was trying not to bash the Matron in this story, but I never liked the character at all. So, I'll apologize to those of you who liked her, because I don't think I was successful. She turned into a bit of a villain the more I wrote.

* * *

Chapter 4

* * *

It was Saturday when Rose crossed paths with Joan Redfern. The two women weren't terribly close, but every now and then had conversations like they were two long-time girlfriends. Rose was returning from making a delivery for her mother when she saw Joan walking through the village. "Good afternoon, Nurse Redfern! How are you today?" Rose chirped happily, still riding the high from her amazing date with John.

Joan arched an eyebrow and grinned at the younger woman. "You seem to be in a particularly good mood, Miss Tyler. You have the glow of a woman in love."

Rose blushed brightly and stammered out a response. "W-well, it's a bit early. I wouldn't say 'love' exactly, but…it wouldn't surprise me if it came to that."

Joan's grin widened. "Congratulations! New love is always exciting." Her grin turned conspiratorial. "Perhaps I might find some new love as well."

With her blush dissipating and her own cheeky grin in place, Rose leaned a bit closer so as not to be overheard. "And who have you set your cap for then?"

"Well, we haven't really spoken yet. But I have an interest in our new history teacher, Mr. Tyler."

Rose's smile fell and she felt like a rock had lodged itself in the pit of her stomach. She genuinely liked the Matron and didn't want to hurt her, but she wasn't about to sit back and let her take John away, either. "Oh. Um, that's…I don't really know how to say this without hurting your feelings," Rose admitted.

The nurse thought she knew what was coming and smiled reassuringly at Rose before taking the burden off her shoulders. "You have an interest in Mr. Tyler as well, don't you?"

Rose nodded, keeping her gaze averted from the other woman. Joan smiled again. "We'll just have to see who Mr. Tyler takes a shine to. May the best woman win."

It was meant to be a good-natured challenge, but Rose couldn't return her smile. The Matron still didn't have the whole picture, it seemed. "The thing is, John and I are already seeing each other."

Now Joan felt the rock settle in her stomach. "Already?" It came out more accusing than she meant it to be and she worked to clarify herself after seeing Rose's flinch. "I just mean, he's only been here for three days and you've already managed to catch his eye."

Rose fiddled with her hands as she met Joan's eyes again. "I'm sorry we developed an interest in the same man."

Joan just laughed lightly. "Oh, Miss Tyler. It's hardly the first time I've been interested in someone that was unavailable. And there are no hard feelings on my part. After all, I haven't even spoken to him. I merely think he is an attractive man. I wish you both the best."

Rose smiled back, feeling lighter after hearing that this wouldn't affect their friendship. "Thank you."

* * *

Matron Redfern was walking down the hallway when she spotted John Tyler coming from his room with Jack Harkness. The two new teachers were both unbelievably handsome, and she still harbored an interest in Mr. Tyler despite the conversation with Rose over the weekend. The two men were talking animatedly and she watched in amusement as they seemed to bicker.

Before she could get a sound of warning past her lips, she watched as John missed the first step of the stairs and went tumbling down. She had just a second of disbelief before she rushed over to him. "Mr. Tyler, are you alright?"

Jack was already there, helping him to his feet. "Mr. Harkness, if you could get him to his room I can check to make sure he isn't injured." Jack just nodded at the nurse and managed to steer a protesting John to a chair in his room.

"I'm just fine. I need to get to class," John insisted as Jack pushed him into the seat.

"That was a pretty bad fall you had. Just let her check you over, please." Jack grinned at John's grudging agreement. "Don't be such a baby."

The nurse was already pulling instruments out of her apron to check his vitals before he had even agreed. "Mr. Harkness, you can head to your class now. I'll let you know if there are any injuries to watch out for," Nurse Redfern instructed.

John sighed like only the long suffering truly can. "Will you please tell my students to quietly read the unit on the French Revolution until I get there?"

Jack nodded in acknowledgement of both statements and made his way downstairs. As he passed the kitchens, he saw Rose in there making herself a cup of tea. "Good morning, Rosie."

Rose grinned at the nickname Jack had given her from day one of their acquaintanceship. It may be a little familiar, but he had never been anything other than gentlemanly with her and he was friends with John, so Rose let it pass. "Good morning, Mr. Harkness."

An idea occurred to Jack, then. He didn't want to hurt Rose, but better to drive them apart now than deal with it later on, especially after hearing John's gushing narrative on their previous date. And he knew he wasn't misreading the interest in the Matron's eyes when it came to John. "John just took a tumble down the stairs. If you want to check on him, he's in his quarters with Nurse Redfern checking him over."

Rose immediately abandoned her tea and rushed past Jack. "Thank you for telling me."

She didn't bother knocking when she reached his room. If the Matron was in there, then he would be decent. She swept into his room, her face clearly showing her concern. "John, are you alright? Mr. Harkness told me you took a spell down the stairs." She felt a hot flash of jealousy bolt through her stomach at the sight of Nurse Redfern running her fingers through John's hair. Logically, she knew she was just checking for any bumps, but it didn't stop the thoughts of _'Mine!'_ and _'Don't touch!'_ from running through Rose's mind. After all, just two days ago the woman mentioned having an interest in John.

"Rose!" The happiness in John's voice snuffed out some of the hope in Joan. She dropped her hands from his hair and gathered her things.

"You don't seem to have any bumps or problems from your fall. But if you experience any dizziness or impaired vision, please come to see me right away."

"Thank you, Matron," he muttered, but his eyes were still trained on Rose as he beamed at the young librarian.

The older woman smiled warmly at Rose as she passed and Rose returned it before making her way to the chair John was still seated in. "Are you sure you're alright?"

John's grin turned a little embarrassed. "Just some bruised pride."

She couldn't resist the opportunity and let her own hand trail through his hair. He made a soft, pleased noise deep in his throat that he hadn't made when the Matron was checking him over, and Rose felt her belly swoop, her chest tighten and her pulse race.

"You may want to make sure the Matron didn't miss anything," John said as he pushed his head further into Rose's hand.

Rose giggled to dispel her earlier reaction. "I think you just like having your hair played with," she accused, but she continued to gently run her hands through the silky strands of his hair, double-checking for any bumps.

"Guilty." John sighed softly and continued to make pleased hums occasionally as Rose hit particularly sensitive spots.

After making an absolute mess of his hair while checking him over, Rose grabbed his comb and carefully arranged his hair back into the careful style he always used. Seeing the way John was gazing at her – eyes somehow soft, dark and intense all at the same time – Rose felt her cheeks begin to blaze under his scrutiny. "S-sorry," she stammered, feeling she may have overstepped her bounds by fixing his hair.

"Don't be. It was nice."

The words, the actions, and that intense gaze caused Rose to suck in a sharp breath and exhale shakily as she tried to get her racing heartbeat under control. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Pink flashed across his cheeks. "Better now." Their gazes held for a few seconds too long as they smiled shyly at each other and finally a bell ringing snapped John from the current running between them. "I should get to class. Who knows what trouble the boys will get into without supervision?"

Rose narrowed her eyes at him, but couldn't hide her mischievous twinkle, as they stood to leave his room. "If you think the boys will be causing trouble, then I must ask. Were _you_ a troublesome child?"

He blew out a breath as he scratched the back of his neck and looked up at the ceiling. "Actually, I was a bit rebellious. Nothing too serious, just the normal boyhood trouble. Pranks, straying into areas I knew I shouldn't be, skipping classes with my friends, that sort of thing."

Rose reached over to give his hand a squeeze and then dropped it as they left his room, trying to keep it professional on school grounds. John pouted slightly at her and she shook her head with a fond smile. "We're at work, John. Behave yourself."

"Fine," he grumbled, poorly concealing his amusement as they headed for his classroom. "What about you, Rose? A bit of a troublemaker?"

The pink that flashed onto her cheeks answered his question before she began to speak. "It was more I seemed to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. I wouldn't actively go looking for mischief, but always seemed to get caught up in something. Some of the boys played a prank once when I was little, by throwing water balloons with food dye inside them. I got hit with a blue one which turned my pink dress a very pretty lavender color. I was actually thrilled with the new look and decided I wanted to help other people have prettier clothes. So, I asked the boys if I could throw one, threw it at Mum, and was banned from playing outside for an entire month as punishment. Mainly, I just wandered off a lot."

A snicker came from beside her and she looked over to see John trying to smother his laughter, quite unsuccessfully. She pouted at him and he managed to control his laughter down to a soft smile. "Oh, Rose Tyler. You said once that I was a bit adorable, but the same could be said for you." He winked playfully at her before ducking inside his classroom.

Delighted and a little bewildered, Rose couldn't help the beaming smile as she headed to the library.

* * *

"Good afternoon, Rosie!" Jack plopped a thick book down onto her counter with his trademark grin. "Returning the book I borrowed."

"Thank you, Mr. Harkness." As she recorded its return in her logbook, she asked him, "Have you seen John since this morning? He seemed fine when he went into his class, but head injuries can be strange things."

Jack nodded. "Saw him during lunch. He's fine." He really hated doing this. His natural instinct was to be the match maker, and he adored Rose. But in this instance, it was better to keep the match from happening. "You and John seem to be getting along pretty well." He waggled his eyebrows at Rose and then chuckled when she immediately looked away with wide-eyes. He may have scandalized her a bit, but the gesture was habit for him. He'd have to be more careful.

Rose composed herself and smiled at him. "Things are going very well, thank you."

Jack sighed. "I'm only saying this because I care about both of you, but maybe you two should slow down a little. You haven't even known each other a week and already the two of you look like you're in love. Relationships take time. Moving that fast can't be healthy."

To his surprise, Rose's smile widened. "Mr. Harkness, do you know how long my parents knew each other before marrying?"

Unsure where this was going, he just shook his head.

"Six months. In just six months, my parents met, fell in love, and then got married. Mum said it would have been quicker, but she had her heart set on a spring wedding. And they were so very happy and in love right up until the day he passed away, twenty-five years later." She tilted her head as she thought. "What you say is true and I appreciate your concern. I understand not every relationship runs so smoothly. But I firmly believe true love exists and if someone is right for you, I think you just know. And no amount of time will change what you feel for each other."

Jack smiled, touched by her words and that they so closely echoed what John had said just days before. He would still try to keep it from getting too serious, but he had a feeling he had already failed. He buried his worry over what would happen when the Doctor returned deep down and nodded at her. "Very well. I really do hope it works out for you two. I think you both deserve that kind of happiness."

Rose grinned back. "Thank you."

* * *

Rose and John had their heads close together, whispering and giggling as they strolled through the village that weekend. They hadn't been on another date since the previous weekend, mainly due to John's fear that they would end up finding more trouble. But the strolls through the village had become a daily occurrence. The townspeople would just smile softly – if not a bit enviously – as the enamored couple walked past. It had become commonplace to see Rose Tyler and John Tyler walking just a little too close to each other, oblivious to anything but what the other was saying.

As they rounded the corner, they almost ran into the Matron. Rose recoiled with a little squeak of surprise and John laughed at the sound. "Hello, Nurse Redfern," Rose and John chorused at the same time and then they blinked at each other and dissolved into another fit of laughter.

The Matron may have known she had very little chance with the man, but she didn't think it was very considerate of Rose to drape herself all over him like that. She immediately scolded herself for that thought, realizing she would be doing the same if their situations were reversed. "Good afternoon to both of you. Enjoying the autumn weather?"

Leaves crunched when Rose moved her foot slightly and she grinned. "It's wonderful. The best time of year."

With a frown, John sternly said, "Second best time of year."

Rose rolled her eyes and then they glittered up at him. "Yes, I'm well aware that _you_ believe winter is best. But right now, it's _my_ favorite time of year so don't you go spoiling it for me!"

John chuckled at the woman next to him who he usually considered beautiful. Right now, he thought she looked like a kitten that couldn't decide if it was exasperated or amused, and just as cute. So many times over the past week, he had wanted to bend down and capture her lips with his or nuzzle his nose against hers. The urge was nearly overwhelming right now, but the nurse's presence kept him in check.

Rose turned her attention back to the Matron, whose smile seemed just a bit forced and the younger woman tried to stop flirting with John while talking to her. "Were you heading over to the bakery? Mum just pulled out some fresh loaves of bread if you want to get them while they're still hot." Rose's grin turned a little impish. "Or there are some muffins that should have cooled to the perfect temperature by now."

Joan let out a small laugh. "I think I might head over. I haven't spoken to your mother in a couple weeks. I'll see the both of you on Monday."

Rose and John waved as she walked away and Rose seemed to slouch with a sigh. John immediately led her over to a bench, worried something may be wrong. "Are you alright, Rose?"

She looked up into his concerned face and smiled slightly while patting the seat next to her. "I just feel bad for Nurse Redfern is all."

John's brow furrowed as he tried to puzzle that statement out. "Is something wrong with her? She seemed fine just now." He glanced back towards the direction the woman had taken, seeing if he noticed something off.

Rose huffed out in disbelief. "You really don't know?"

"Know what?" John was just getting more confused.

"She's been interested in you since you got to Farringham," Rose stated with wide eyes, still not sure how John could have missed the woman's obvious interest.

"Has she?"

"Yes." She scowled. A minute ago, she felt bad for the woman, but that was quickly changing to frustration. "She's also known about us since the day after our first date, but still is trying to sway your interest in her favor," she muttered. "For instance, when she was very obviously trying to get you to ask her to the village dance yesterday." Rose affected an overly flirtatious voice. "'Oh, look the village dance! I sure wish someone would ask me.'" She looked up at John from under her eyelashes and then huffed. "The nerve."

"Was she trying to get me to ask her?"

Rose sighed in exasperation. Apparently, John didn't know when he was being flirted with. "Yes. It was rather obvious, too," she pouted.

John watched her vent with an amused smile on his face. "You know, there's only one woman I have had any interest in since moving here. She's the only one I would want to invite to the village dance." He raised one eyebrow and looked meaningfully at her.

With a bashful smile, Rose fidgeted with a string on her coat. "You haven't asked me."

John stood and helped her stand with him. "No, I haven't. Because the perfect moment hasn't happened yet." He bopped her nose playfully and delighted in her giggle. "We still have three weeks. There's still plenty of time. I'll get there."

John immediately laced his fingers with hers as she brought both hands up to wrap around his arm. "Do you feel better now," he asked.

Rose blew out a breath. "I do, actually. Watching Nurse Redfern flirt and knowing what she was trying to do hurt. But now that you know and have clarified things for me, I feel better."

"Good. How about dinner at the pub today, Rose Tyler?"

Rose repressed a shiver. The way he said her name always made it feel like it meant more than just a name to him. "Or I could cook for you. You haven't let me feed you yet, John Tyler."

"That's because I'm trying to preserve my life and avoid being poisoned."

Rose gasped in mock outrage. "That's it! I wasn't going to poison you, but now you've asked for it."

John chuckled and had to consciously fight himself to not lean down and nuzzle his nose against her temple affectionately.

* * *

John leaned against the doorframe into the kitchen, chatting with Rose as he watched her bustle about her and Jackie's house. He had to admit he wouldn't mind seeing her in action a lot more frequently, perhaps in a house the two of them shared. Thinking about marriage so soon was scary, but when he put Rose in the position of bride, it felt natural and the scariness evaporated.

Rose quickly and deftly chopped and sliced and seasoned the meal she was working on and kept up her end of the conversation with John.

Jackie bustled into the room, intent on helping with dinner preparations, but Rose gently turned her back around. "No. I'm cooking tonight, Mum. You go sit and relax until it's ready."

"But, Rose sweetheart," her mother protested. "You could use some help, couldn't you?"

Rose looked at her mum and noticed the playfulness in her expression. With an eyeroll, Rose gently pushed Jackie back out the kitchen doorway. "I've got it, Mum."

Jackie pressed a quick kiss to Rose's cheek, a privilege John very much wanted, before laughing lightly as she walked out the door. "Don't worry. I won't touch the dinner for your…," she trailed off with a scrutinizing look at John. "What are your intentions with my Rose, anyway?"

"Mum," came the embarrassed hiss from Rose.

"Oh, don't 'mum' me, young lady! The two of you have become thick as thieves this past week. I need to know what himself here is planning." With all the authority that comes from motherhood and simply being Jackie Tyler, she steered John from the kitchen and pushed him down into a chair in the living room. She plopped down in the chair across from him and just looked at him expectantly.

John shifted. "Well, Mrs. Tyler, I care for your daughter very much. This past week with her has been the best of my life. But, it has still only been one week. While I would love a future with Rose, we still need to learn more about each other and make sure we're a good match. With how brilliant this past week has been, I don't think it would take much longer to know for sure what the future holds for us."

Jackie nodded once sharply. "Very well. Just make sure you treat her right and do not overstep your boundaries with her, Mr. Tyler."

John nodded his agreement. "I told you this a week ago and it still stands. I have absolute respect for Rose. I would never intentionally hurt her or do anything to mar her reputation."

Jackie studied John, trying to decipher if he was being truthful with her.

"Dinner's ready," Rose called from the kitchen.

John silently thanked Rose in his head for saving him from her mother's inquisition.

Jackie nodded one last time at John and offered a smile as she stood. "Get ready for a delicious meal, Mr. Tyler."

* * *

John had to admit after the first few bites, that Rose had quite possibly created the most mouthwatering thing he had ever eaten. It was all seasoned perfectly, cooked perfectly, and the sides complimented the chicken perfectly. "Now you've done it, Rose."

With a grin, Rose faced John. "What have I done?"

"I'm going to have to insist that they let you in the kitchens to cook all my meals at the school."

Rose giggled happily. "You're always welcome here for dinner, you know." She smiled warmly at him. "Breakfast and lunch may be difficult considering the early hour of one and the time constraint of the other, but dinner we could manage."

Jackie hid her knowing smirk behind her water glass. As she watched the two banter throughout the evening, she had grown to like John Tyler more and more, although she'd never tell him. She figured allowing him to be in her home and around her daughter said enough.


	5. Chapter 5

I just want to clarify something before you read this chapter. Jack _thinks_ he's doing the right thing and saving the Doctor and Rose from later heartache. And he struggles with it and hates himself for doing it. Just wanted to put that out there before I get complaints that Jack is out of character here.

* * *

Chapter 5

* * *

Rose walked down the halls in a huff. She liked Headmaster Rocastle and appreciated everything he had done for her and her mother, but it would be nice if he remembered to return the books he borrowed from the library. Instead, Rose would have to go hunt them down and reclaim them herself. Today, she had confiscated five books that had – somehow – become mixed in with the Headmaster's personal collection.

With the books clutched in her arms, she beamed as she caught sight of John standing in the hallway. His back was to her and she thought of sneaking up on him, as he had done to her previously, when she heard another voice and realized he was speaking with someone. Feeling only slightly guilty at letting her curiosity get the better of her, she pressed herself into a corner out of sight and listened in on the conversation.

The Matron was blatantly flirting with John, all coy smiles and batting eyelashes and Rose fought the urge to smack the woman on top of the head with one of the books she was now clutching with a death grip. The massive and incredibly heavy encyclopedia she was holding seemed like a good choice.

Nurse Redfern's eyes darted to a poster advertising the village dance and turned to look at it fully before turning her attention back to John. "Oh, look. The village dance is coming up soon. It would be nice to attend." She looked up at John through her lashes and bit her lip.

Rose narrowed her eyes. That conniving, manipulative woman! She told Rose she wouldn't stand in their way, and then she goes and tries to steal John anyway. Rose hadn't hated the Matron before, and didn't think she could ever truly hate someone, but she was furious at the moment. More important than the Matron's flirtations however, was how John responded.

"Well, I'm sure someone will ask you. There's still plenty of time," John chirped happily and then started to walk away. "I need to get to class. See you later, Matron."

Rose watched the Matron dejectedly mope away to her office and let out a sigh of relief as she loosened the grip she had on the books. She winced at the crescent-shaped marks on the back of one of the books from her nails and hoped those faded before it was rented out again.

* * *

Rose groaned as she woke up, hating that dream. It was nice that John didn't react the way Nurse Redfern was hoping, but reliving the memories of seeing someone she had considered a friend flirt with John was painful. It was bad enough seeing it happen once, she didn't need to repeat the experience. Chalking it up to talking about it with John yesterday and seeing it happen just the day before that, Rose blew out a breath to release the tension from the dream and got up to start her day. No doubt her mother would drag her to church and then send her out on numerous deliveries.

* * *

As Monday's classes started, Jack shuffled closer to the library, hating himself for what he was about to do. He had taken to watching over the Doctor – or John – and Rose from a distance, eavesdropping when possible to try and find a way to stop the love he could see blossoming between the two. After all, the Doctor's first rule had been to not let him hurt anybody, and that was unfortunately the only outcome Jack could see here. His plan right now was feeble at best. All it would take is a conversation to set things right, but he was grasping at straws to keep everyone safe.

He smiled when he saw Rose, a natural reaction to seeing the woman and the happiness she radiated, and just hated himself even more. "Good morning, Rosie," he whispered softly.

Rose's smile fell into a frown as she looked at his face. "Mr. Harkness? Are you feeling well? What's wrong?"

The sick feeling in Jack's stomach grew with her concern for him. "I should be asking you that."

Rose tilted her head in confusion. "Why? What's wrong?"

Jack cursed his conman skills for enabling him to pull this off. "You didn't know?"

Rose put a hand to her chest in worry. "Know what?"

Seeing her eyes widen in fear, Jack almost called it off. But the thought of how much more it would hurt her when the Doctor returned to himself steeled his resolve. "John asked the Matron to the village dance."

Rose's breath whooshed from her lungs and she blinked rapidly to stop the tears she could feel forming. Jack continued, "Knowing how close you and John were becoming, it surprised me when he told me. But apparently, he asked her yesterday."

Rose felt like her heart was physically breaking inside her chest. Did she cause this? She told John on Saturday that the Matron was interested. Had he only been with her because he didn't know Nurse Redfern was a possibility? After all, he hadn't said 'no' when he was talking to the Matron about the dance and he still hadn't asked Rose. What if he didn't ask because he didn't want to? 'There's still plenty of time.' He had used the same expression with both her and the Matron. When she was helping her mother yesterday, was he getting cozy with the Matron? Her chest began to heave with the beginnings of tears and she looked at Jack. "I…Excuse me," she choked out and ran to the safety of her library.

Jack closed his eyes and prayed to all the deities he didn't believe in, that he would be forgiven for what he'd just done. "I am so sorry, Rosie."

* * *

Rose stared at John coldly when he came to collect her to walk her home that afternoon. He was beaming away at her like nothing was amiss and Rose felt her anger and heartbreak increase. "Mr. Tyler. If you are looking for a woman to escort home, you should seek out the Matron."

John stopped short and the smile fell from his face. "What? Rose, I'm confused."

Rose just turned from him and angrily began to shelve books. If she spoke right now, it would just come out a blubbering, sobbing mess so she pressed her lips together and blinked rapidly. With tears blurring her vision and anger making her movements sloppy, she misjudged one of the shelves and banged the back of her hand on it. "Damn," she cursed softly and held her hand to her chest. The sobs she had been holding in broke free and John came up to her side.

"Let me see your hand, Rose," he instructed cautiously. He held out his hand expectantly, but she didn't move. "Does it hurt that bad?"

"I'm not crying about my stupid hand, John!" She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, trying to reign it all in. Feeling she had it under control, she began to explain. "You asked the Matron to the village dance yesterday. If that is who you prefer to spend your time with, I won't stop you." She had started strong, but her voice wavered and cracked towards the end.

John longed to wrap her in his arms and soothe away whatever was bothering her, but knew he wouldn't be welcome right now. "Rose, I really don't understand. I didn't ask the Matron to the dance."

Rose's bottom lip trembled. "Mr. Harkness told me you did. Why would he lie?"

John shrugged helplessly, eyes wide. "I don't know. Honestly Rose, you're the only woman I've had any interest in since coming to Farringham. I haven't asked the Matron to the dance. I have no interest in the Matron. And I have no idea what Jack is thinking."

Jack, hearing the conversation in the library, was trying to slink by, but John saw him and grabbed his arm none too gently. "Let's go to my room. We need to figure out what is going on."

Rose gathered her things and followed, still trying to tamp down the tears that were on the surface.

Once they were all inside, John slammed the door and rounded on Jack. "What the hell, Jack?"

Rose flinched back and even Jack looked a bit caught off-guard. John had never raised his voice before.

Jack sighed and slumped down into one of John's chairs. "Look, I'm sorry. You and Rose have been getting so close, so quickly. I worry about you two. It's all moving so fast and I just thought it would be better to separate you now instead of having it all implode further down the road."

John narrowed his eyes. "You tried to separate us because _you_ think it's best? Where do you think you fit into our relationship, Jack? You may be happy flitting from one woman to another, but I would like something more substantial. And I'm finding that with Rose. You're right, it is early. But it's also going very well. You need to mind your own business, Harkness. Do I make myself clear?" he ground out through clenched teeth.

Jack sighed and nodded. "I apologize, Rosie. I didn't want to hurt you. I just figured it would hurt less now. I don't have a history of good relationships." He huffed a bitter laugh. "I just didn't want you to get hurt worse further down the line."

Rose blinked quickly and blew out a breath to steady herself. "I forgive you, Mr. Harkness. But…," her eyes narrowed and her voice became a threatening hiss. "If you ever interfere again, I won't be so forgiving."

* * *

Rose and John were walking to her house after their talk with Jack, practically pressed together after the tension of the day. "I am so sorry, Rose. I don't know what's gotten into Jack, lately. He's never been like this before."

Rose brushed a thumb over John's hand, still shaken that she had almost lost this. For the entire school day, she was convinced that she _had_ lost it. "Don't apologize, John. You did nothing wrong and I don't hold it against you." She worried her lip for a moment and then looked up at John. "So, you're not taking the Matron to the dance?"

John shook his head at her. "No. Still waiting for the right moment to ask this amazing woman I've met. She doesn't seem to realize just how special she is, though. I'm hoping to rectify that."

Rose smiled shyly at him. "Hm. She sounds like a lucky lady."

John grinned at her, overjoyed to be back to their bantering like this afternoon's unpleasantness never happened. "I have to disagree. I'm the lucky one."

* * *

On Tuesday, the drama of Monday was just an unpleasant memory. Rose and John carried on as they usually did. On Wednesday, John went to the library to collect Rose for the walk home, but found the Matron there instead. His smile faded as he noticed the lack of his beautiful love interest made the room seem drab and dreary. "Good afternoon, Nurse Redfern. Where is Rose?"

"Rose received a message earlier today that Jackie was very sick. She rushed home to see her."

John nodded with worry coursing through his body. He made his way off school grounds with hurried steps and then sped up to a jog through the village to get to Rose's house. He knocked and then smiled brightly at Rose when she answered, even though he was still struggling to catch his breath.

She smiled slightly at him and let him in, smile growing as she noticed his state. "Did you run here?"

"Well, I was concerned. They said you left early because of an emergency with your mother."

Rose nodded as she took his coat and hat from him. "I'm sorry I didn't send a message to you before I left. When they said Mum was sick I got extremely worried and all I could think about was getting home."

John shook his head. "Don't apologize, Rose. I understand."

The care in his eyes and the softness of his voice soothed Rose and she slumped against him, just laying her forehead against his chest. Hesitating just slightly in case she changed her mind, John brought his arms up to embrace her. As John's arms curled around her, Rose brought her own arms up to return the gesture and then stepped closer, turning her head so her cheek rested on his chest. They were perhaps pressed together a bit more intimately than was appropriate, but Rose couldn't care less. It felt good to be held by John. Not only to feel the support he was offering while she cared for Jackie, but to feel his care for her and his warmth at the same time.

John's heart raced and he figured Rose had to be able to feel it, the way her cheek was pressed to him. It was the first embrace they had shared and he thought he had never felt anything quite so satisfying as holding Rose Tyler against him. He leaned his cheek against the top of her head and closed his eyes, just enjoying the sensations.

"Rose," Jackie croaked hoarsely from a room in the back and Rose pulled away reluctantly, giving John a slight squeeze before she let go.

"Can you stay for a while?"

John took in her worried eyes and defeated posture. "I'm here as long as you need me to be."

Rose brightened slightly. "I'll be right back."

* * *

Rose looked even more defeated when she reappeared a few moments later. "She's finally getting some sleep." She slumped onto the sofa next to John. "I don't know what she has exactly, but it seems to be a pretty severe stomach bug." She closed her eyes and leaned her head back, trying to will away the headache that was building.

John's fingers trailed lightly from her temple, along her hair to the bun at the back of her head. He nudged it gently with his fingers. "May I?"

Rose nodded and blushed as John got up to stand behind her before carefully working the pins from her hair so that it cascaded softly down her back. Slowly, his fingers carded through her hair, making sure he didn't encounter any knots too roughly. Rose gave a sigh of pleasure as his questing fingers eased away the oncoming headache.

"Your hair has always looked soft. Now I know that it feels just as silky as it looks."

Rose tilted her head back further to smile at John upside down. "Thank you."

John made one more pass through her hair before he pulled a book from his coat and sat next to Rose, looking nervous. His strange dreams had more often than not, contained Rose over the past two weeks. With his feelings for her becoming stronger each day, he figured it was time to come clean about his nighttime imaginings. If they would cause Rose to think he was unstable, she deserved to have the chance to back out now.

Rose sat up and turned to look at the book. John gasped softly as he looked at her. With her hair down she was even more beautiful and John decided he needed to stop being surprised at how easily she enchanted him. "What's this?" She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and the move distracted John so thoroughly that he had to take a second to figure out what she said.

He blinked down at the book, nerves building back up again. "It's my dream journal." Rose continued to watch him, waiting for him to elaborate. "I've been having strange dreams since coming to Farringham. Dreams where I'm this man who travels through time and space and calls himself the Doctor. He has these mad adventures, travelling with his friends. The people I travel with in these dreams are Jack and…you." He waited for the ridicule, but it never came.

"Can I see it?" she asked softly.

Unable to deny her, and truthfully wanting her to see it, he handed over the journal. He watched her face as she read through a few pages, trying to gauge her reaction. "Did you draw these?" He could hear the astonishment in her voice.

"Yes."

"I didn't know you were such a talented artist. These are beautiful, John." He smiled and scooted closer. "What's this?"

John looked at the strange, wooden box he had sketched. "It's called the TARDIS. It's how the Doctor travels and it's bigger on the inside."

Rose continued to flip pages, reading the passages he had jotted down and marveling over his drawings. She came to one picture and gasped. It was John, but he was wearing a suit that had a different cut and a very long coat. She was standing next to him dressed in a frilly skirt that exposed far too much ankle and a jacket. Both of them had wide smiles on their faces. John's voice spoke softly next to her, "That's the Doctor and his Rose."

"Your dreams are extraordinary. You could use this book to create an entire world of fiction."

"You don't think I'm mad for having these dreams?"

Rose turned to find his eyes wide and vulnerable. "You can't control what you dream. And I think they're fantastic. Who wouldn't want to be able to travel through time and space and see all the wonderful places that exist out there beyond our reach?"

That was the moment all of John's tightly held control broke. He shifted forward slowly, softly placing his lips against Rose's. He pulled back after a few seconds and his eyes fluttered open to see how she would react.

Rose ducked her head to hide her warm cheeks and John took it as displeasure with his actions. "I'm sorry, Rose. I know that was too forward, but I've been wanting to kiss you almost since the moment we met and I just couldn't…"

There was a second of nervousness before Rose leaned forward and sealed their lips together. Pleasantly surprised, John brought his hand up to thread into her hair, gently shifting her head to get a better angle. The kiss was soft and sweet and chaste as their lips slowly slid against each other. Rose pulled back and smiled shakily at John. "That was amazing."

John nodded as he grinned back at her, still a little bewildered. "Yeah, it was."

"Rose," came the hoarse call from Jackie's room.

Taking a steadying breath, Rose stood to go to her mum. "I'll be right back."


	6. Chapter 6

I am so sorry. I think this had to happen for the story to go where I wanted it to, but I'm still very sorry. I have a more detailed explanation at the end of the chapter. Fair warning, this chapter is pretty much straight-up angst. The fluff will return soon. No worries!

* * *

Chapter 6

* * *

Wednesday morphed into Thursday and true to his word, John stayed with Rose the entire night as they kept vigil over the seriously ill Jackie Tyler. "What about your classes?" Rose wondered as she plated the eggs and toast she had made for John.

"I sent word to Headmaster Rocastle late last night. He'll have made arrangements." John watched Rose work in the kitchen, feeling more and more like he wanted to make this a permanent situation. Granted, he would like a little more sleep in that scenario since neither of them had slept at all during the night. "By the way, if your mother is an awful cook, how do you know how to cook so well?"

That drew a giggle from Rose and a grin that John had never seen before. He had seen her smile hundreds of times, had watched her make countless expressions, but this one was brand new. Her tongue perched in between her teeth and he couldn't help but follow the movement. Maybe he was only seeing it now because she felt comfortable enough with him to share it, but whatever the reason, he wanted to see that smile more often and only directed at him.

He pushed thoughts of that tantalizing smile from his mind and focused on the giggle, pleased to have drawn that reaction from her. "Survival instincts, Mr. Tyler! If I wanted to live, I had to know how to fend for myself," she proclaimed dramatically and John grinned to see some of her spark restored.

With a wink, Rose gathered the light breakfast she had prepared for Jackie and headed to her room. Seconds later, he heard her yell. "JOHN!"

John raced down the hallway to Jackie's room, fearing the worst when he heard Rose's call. She was leaning over Jackie's bed with her hand on her forehead, eyes wide in fear. "She's burning up! Will you get the doctor?"

Without a word, John ran from the small house, tearing through the village to the home of the village doctor. After John explained the situation, the doctor followed him as they rushed back to the little house and bakery.

Rose was dabbing a cool cloth around Jackie's face when they entered. When she spotted the doctor, she immediately vacated her spot so he could look at her mother.

John felt his heart break for Rose as he watched her wring her hands, looking lost and devastated as she worried about Jackie. He moved closer to wrap his arm around her shoulders and draw her into his side, offering what little comfort he could. Rose burrowed closer, turning her face into his chest and he couldn't help but drop a few chaste kisses onto her hair.

Test after test passed before the doctor turned to Rose and John, his expression grave. "I don't know that she has much time, Miss Tyler. Her fever is dangerously high and even if we put her in a cool bath to bring it down, her vitals are barely registering. I'm very sorry."

"Can we try anyway? Would her vitals stabilize if we got the fever under control? What about calling for an ambulance?" Rose's voice cracked and strained as she tried to keep herself from falling apart.

"Of course we'll try. But I want you to be prepared."

He didn't say it outright, but Rose could hear the implied, 'in case it doesn't work.'

* * *

Rose and the village doctor had been diligently trying to break Jackie's fever, but nothing seemed to be working. John had run back to the doctor's house to use his telephone to call for an ambulance. He came back into the room just minutes after leaving, chest heaving as he struggled to catch his breath. "They should be here shortly."

Rose nodded and reached over to squeeze his hand in thanks. They shared a small smile before Rose went back to wiping Jackie's face with a cool cloth.

After what seemed an eternity to Rose, she heard the unmistakable sound of an ambulance pulling up outside her home. The doctor rushed to greet them and was immediately heard reporting the details of Jackie's illness to the emergency personnel. Hope filled Rose as men in hospital uniforms strapped her mother to a gurney and quickly loaded her into the ambulance. "Can I ride with you? She's my mother."

Rose had unconsciously grabbed John's hand during the flurry of activity and the emergency personnel got the wrong impression. "It will be a tight fit, but we should be able to accommodate you and your husband."

John opened his mouth to correct them, but the grip on his hand tightened as Rose spoke. "Thank you."

When the men went back to work on Jackie, John quirked an eyebrow at Rose. "If we say we're married, you can come with me," Rose whispered, hoping she didn't burst into flames with the hot flush she could feel spreading across her face.

There was a gentle pressure on her hand and Rose looked up at John's smiling face. "Okay."

It was a tight squeeze just as anticipated, but both Rose and John were allowed to accompany Jackie to the hospital. It wasn't a terribly long trip into London, but with her nerves on edge about her mother, Rose felt like it lasted much longer than it should have.

As they unloaded and hurried Jackie through the doors, Rose relaxed slightly. She wasn't completely at ease, but being surrounded by doctors, nurses, and the most up-to-date equipment, she felt some of her tension release. A nurse bearing a warm smile directed them to the waiting area. "While we get your mother set up, please have a seat. We'll let you know once we have her in a room," the nurse murmured in a gentle Welsh accent.

John kept hold of Rose's hand as they took a seat. "Are you holding up alright?"

Rose nodded. "I'll be much better once we can see Mum again." She smiled at the soothing circles John was tracing on the back of her hand. "Thank you for coming with me. I don't know if I could have kept calm if I had to do this on my own."

John's lips pressed gently to the back of her hand. "You're stronger than you give yourself credit for. But if you feel you need a little extra support, I'm here, Rose."

* * *

They walked briskly down the halls behind the nurse in front of them. "Here is Mrs. Tyler's room. Visiting hours end at 8:00 PM, so please don't give the attending nurse any trouble when she announces visiting hours are over."

Rose nodded and thanked her absently as she eyed her mother, looking pale and small in the stark white hospital room. Her mother was always larger than life and wearing enough colors to make an artist blink. It was unnatural to see her lying so still and silent.

They had barely gotten seated when a doctor came to see them. He shook hands with them both and then shot them a cheeky smile. "Miss Tyler." He turned his gaze to John. "Mr. Tyler. Very clever with the ambulance drivers."

John held up a hand in defense, posture relaxed since the doctor didn't seem upset. "We didn't lie to them. They misunderstood and we just…didn't correct them."

The doctor waved a hand dismissively. "No need to explain. This is a difficult time and I'm glad Miss Tyler has someone to help her through this." John got a puzzled expression on his face and the doctor smiled slightly. "Before you ask how I knew you weren't married, I spoke with the doctor from Farringham on the telephone before your arrival."

He moved to Jackie's bedside and began to take various readings. "Just as your town doctor noted, her vitals are incredibly weak. We will do our best, I assure you. But it will be touch and go for a while, I'm afraid."

Rose nodded and took her mother's hand again after the doctor finished his examination. "Thank you, sir."

* * *

Visiting hours ended and Rose had no idea what to do. Obviously, they had to leave the hospital, but heading back into the village and then back into London in the morning would be expensive and time consuming. She chewed a thumbnail as she thought and then gave a start as she realized John had led them someplace and she hadn't even noticed. "Where are we?"

John gave a nonchalant shrug, but Rose noticed the tension in his posture. "It's an inn. I have enough money with me to get us both a room – separate rooms – for a few nights."

"John, I couldn't possibly take advantage of your generosity like that," Rose protested. "Besides, I can tell the idea doesn't sit well with you." She gently pushed on his tense shoulders and to her surprise, the tension melted out of them and John smiled.

"I was worried you would think I was being presumptuous. But my intentions are good."

Rose shook her head at the daft man she was pretty sure she was in love with. "I don't want you spending your money on an inn for us, especially my room."

John squinted at the sky and pushed his tongue to the back of his teeth as he thought. "How about a trade, then?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

Rose raised her own eyebrow in response. "What sort of trade?"

"You let me pay for your room and in thanks…," he tilted his head as he thought and then a glint entered his eye, "…you cook me an entire day's worth of meals when we get back to the village?"

Laughter bubbled out of Rose and she was immeasurably thankful John was there with her. "You have yourself a deal, John Tyler."

They playfully shook hands before heading into the inn.

* * *

John put an arm around Rose again as the doctor took another reading of her mother's vitals. Today had been tense with the doctors and various nurses fluttering in and out, giving each other orders and saying hardly anything to the two people who were most concerned about Jackie Tyler.

With a sigh, the doctor who had been there the most scrubbed a hand down his face and finally turned to address them. "I'm so sorry, Miss Tyler. She's beginning to shut down. She hasn't responded to any of the medications or treatments we've attempted. We don't have any other remedies to try."

John felt Rose trembling in his embrace and he guided her over to Jackie's form, lying so unbelievably still in her bed. "Do you want us to give you a few minutes?"

Rose nodded. "I just…there are things I want to say. I'll call you back in when I'm done."

John nodded and turned to head out into the hall with the physician, softly shutting the door behind him. He couldn't really comprehend this was happening. And if he was this stunned, he couldn't even begin to understand what Rose must be going through. He knew the heartache that accompanied loss, but to watch someone you loved deteriorate must be a different level of agonizing.

His interactions with the woman had been few, but according to everyone else in the village, Jackie Tyler had always been so full of life, a terrifying matriarch who was actually loving and sweet under the brash exterior. Just days ago they had all sat at the tiny dining table in her little house, conversing and getting to know one another. She had been just fine then and he had no idea what could have possibly happened to put her on death's door in such a short amount of time.

The door creaked open and Rose beckoned the two men back inside. Her eyes were red and puffy and John immediately opened his arms for her. She collapsed into them and tried to stifle her cries into his shirt. His heart broke again as the enormity of what she had just done dawned on him. She had just said goodbye to her mother.

* * *

It was just two hours later as they all continued to sit with Jackie Tyler. Rose held her hand and continued to wipe her face with cool cloths, more for comfort now than anything else. The fever had broken hours ago, but it hadn't improved her condition in the slightest. John was sitting next to Rose, a silent support for her. The doctor was sitting on the other side of the bed, occasionally taking Jackie's vitals. There was an exhale that sounded different than the others and the doctor quickly grabbed for his stethoscope.

He listened in several places, all the while pressing his fingers to Jackie's wrists or neck. With a sigh, he pulled the instrument from his ears and looked at Rose. "I'm sorry. She's gone."

* * *

Rose kept it together while the undertaker came to take Jackie to the funeral home. She kept it together as she discussed arrangements with the funeral director. She kept it together as she phoned Headmaster Rocastle to let him know about her mother and that she may not be at work for a few days. She kept it together as she and John rode in a rented carriage back into the village. She kept it together when the headmaster and a host of others turned up to offer their condolences and express their shock at Jackie's sudden demise. She even managed to convince John to head back to the school.

"We've both been dealing with a lot of issues without a good night's rest, John. Go back to your room, rest, get cleaned up, relax for a bit. I'll be alright for the night." She pressed a gentle, thankful kiss to his cheek and he returned the gesture. "Thank you for being there with me. Goodnight, John."

"Goodnight, Rose."

* * *

After bathing and changing, John tried to sleep but kept seeing Rose's face in his mind, broken and alone. He threw his covers off and wondered what he was doing here. She needed him, even if she wasn't willing to admit it. She was a strong woman, but this was a lot to handle and she had already held it together for a long time.

No one answered when he knocked at the door of Rose's house and he began to worry. The door was locked, so he went around to the back of the house to see if he could get in that way. He found Rose sitting on a bench in the tiny back garden, looking small and fragile in a white cotton shift. Her knees were drawn to her chest as she gazed at the night sky. "Rose?"

She merely smiled slightly and patted the bench next to her without looking at him. When John wrapped an arm around her shoulders, she leaned into his warmth. "Tell me about the stars," she requested softly. And so, John began to tell her everything he could about the stars.

An hour later, her warm weight had become just a tad heavier and John realized she had fallen asleep. Maneuvering carefully so he wouldn't wake her, he managed to get her in a position so he could carry her inside. Brushing his lips across her forehead, he left her room to settle himself on the sofa. He wasn't about to leave her alone again.

* * *

NOTES: Just to make it clear, I love Jackie Tyler. She can be a bit overbearing, but being a mother myself, I get it. But, for the purposes of this story, I couldn't really see any way to keep her. If Jackie Tyler in 2005 had such a hard time accepting Rose _travelling_ with an alien, just imagine a 1913 Jackie Tyler accepting Rose having a _romantic relationship_ with an alien.


	7. Chapter 7

Thank heavens nobody completely skewered me for what happened with Jackie! I can't tell you how nervous the last chapter made me, though I firmly stand by what happened. A great many and fervent messages of thanks for the comments on the last chapter.

Just to let everyone know, updates are going to start coming on Sunday nights, Tuesday nights, and Thursday nights. My schedule at work is changing and there is no way I'm getting up at 4 am so I have time to post!

There's still some angst in the beginning and then we go back to the fluff towards the end.

* * *

Chapter 7

* * *

The next morning, John was woken by the sound of running feet and a slamming door. A few seconds later, Rose shuffled into the living room, her tears just barely under control. She sent a quivering smile John's way. "You stayed?"

"I told you I'd be here as long as you needed me."

Rose lost the last shred of control she had over her tears and John stood to envelop her in his arms. "I'm here, Rose. We'll get through this together. I promise," he murmured soothingly into her hair.

When Rose felt she could function again, she pulled back and exhaled shakily as she tightened the belt on her dressing gown. "Right. Time to make breakfast."

John gently took her shoulders and sat her on the sofa. "Nope. You sit here. I'll make breakfast."

"You can cook?"

John frowned at the skepticism in her voice. "Of course I can cook! I have had to feed myself on occasion."

Rose followed him into the kitchen and sat at the dining table. "This I must see."

John smirked at her, relieved to see some of her sense of humor return. He knew it would take time. Losing loved ones was not something that could be recovered from quickly, but if Rose didn't allow her grief and mourning to rule her life, she'd be okay.

* * *

Rose giggled as John juggled the eggs. "Don't drop those! I will only be impressed with your juggling if the eggs survive the experience."

"Don't lie to yourself, Rose Tyler! Just admit that you already think I'm impressive."

"You wish," she rebutted.

He caught the last egg with a flourish and a bow. "Ta-da!"

Rose dutifully clapped. "Sort of impressive." She propped her chin in her hand. "Now let's see if instead of playing with the food, you can actually cook it."

John accepted the challenge and began to prep the ingredients. "Oh ye of little faith! Just you wait."

Minutes later, Rose had to admit John had been right, he was a decent cook. She complimented him on not burning down the house – giggling at the mock-glare she received – and then voraciously wolfed down her eggs, toast and tea. "I didn't even notice how hungry I was. We didn't eat at all yesterday, did we? Or the day before?"

John shook his head. "You made breakfast the day before and we were about to eat…" he trailed off.

Rose nodded and a little of the brightness dimmed from her eyes. She let out a breath and stood to clean up the breakfast dishes. "I know I won't be expected, but I think I'd like to go into work for a few hours." John took up the spot next to her so he could dry the dishes for her. "I can't just sit here and do nothing but think all day. I need to keep busy."

John tilted his head in concern. "Rose, it's Saturday. There is no school." Instead of giving Rose time to be embarrassed, he continued. "Would you rather take the day and go into London with me?"

Rose smiled at him. "John, not only are you going to spoil me, but you're going to run out of money if you keep renting carriages, and paying for rooms at inns, and taking me out."

John tapped her nose playfully and smiled when Rose wrinkled and rubbed it in response. "If you don't count the carriage home from the hospital, which I don't, I only did all of those once, thank you very much."

"I think I just need some normalcy today," she sighed.

John shot her a sympathetic look. "Even if it was a school day, you wouldn't get that at the school, Rose. Headmaster Rocastle would have let the other teachers and staff know about your mother. All you would get today would be questions about how you are and if you need anything mixed in with everyone's condolences. And if we stay in town, it will probably be the same thing."

Rose nodded and was contemplating what to do when she heard older women gossiping close to one of her windows. They seemed to be projecting their voices, so Rose guessed she was supposed to hear what they were saying.

"Can you believe it? All night and not a chaperone in sight. Jackie would be so disappointed, she would."

"Have they no shame? How will that girl land a husband now? She needs to think of her future."

Rose groaned and hid her face in her hands. As if she was worried about chaperones and husbands the day after losing her mother! She peeked up at John through her fingers. "I'm sorry."

John had a thunderous look on his face, but Rose could tell it wasn't directed at her. "Don't you dare apologize, Rose Tyler. I told you I would be here for you and I meant it. I should be the one apologizing anyway. If I had left before anyone else was awake, they wouldn't be slandering your name."

Rose shook her head. "Don't worry about it. Not many people pay attention to the Millers' gossip, anyway."

John's brow wrinkled as he thought. "The flower twins?"

Rose giggled slightly. "Yes, the flower twins. They're all-knowing when it comes to plants, but their gossip almost always proves false."

John waved his hand in dismissal of the gossiping women and leaned against the doorway into the kitchen. "So, what will it be, Rose Tyler? A day in London or do you have something else in mind?"

Rose bit her lip in thought. "I think maybe I'd like to stay here and clear out some of Mum's things. It may seem callous to do it so soon, but until I take care of it, it'll be like this cloud hanging over me. I need to take care of it so I can start getting back to normal." She really did feel awful doing it so quickly, but she knew she wouldn't start to feel better until everything was taken care of. And that included her mother's room.

"Do you want some help or are you sick of me?" John's voice was playful and Rose smirked up at him.

"Oh, you've been slightly useful." John narrowed his eyes at her and Rose stuck her tongue out at him. She sobered and gazed up at him. "Seriously, I don't know what I would have done without you, John. Thank you." She squeezed his hand in gratitude.

Her voice brightened as she continued. "But, Headmaster Rocastle is going to give you grief if you don't head back into work on Monday. Even I will be expected back in then and it was my mother! If you need to work on lesson plans or grade papers or something, I understand."

John nodded and pushed off from his spot. "You may have a point. There's no telling how much grading has piled up or if the boys have kept on pace for the past few days."

"Then you better go and get an update." John's concerned gaze travelled Rose's face and she sighed. "I'll be fine."

"I just hate the thought of you sitting here sad and crying, all by yourself."

Rose rolled her eyes. "Well, you paint a pretty bleak picture!" John opened his mouth to explain, but Rose held up a hand with a teasing smile. "Go take care of your classes, John. I don't want you getting into trouble because of me. And if you would like to come over later, you're always welcome. You should know that by now."

John nodded and then seemed to struggle with a decision. He and Rose had only shared two kisses, one right after the other before everything fell apart with Jackie. That had been days ago and he wasn't sure if those were still allowed or if the dynamics had shifted with Jackie's passing. He figured there was only one way to be sure and gently cupped Rose's cheek as he slowly bent towards her.

Rose's eyes fluttered closed as John got closer and her pulse began to pound. She had wished for this since their first kiss days ago, had craved his lips against hers again. With all of the tension surrounding the past few days, a kiss would have been welcome to help her frazzled nerves. Even though those two past kisses were her first, Rose felt a sense of peace and rightness settle over her when John kissed her. As his lips gently met hers again, those same feelings crept over her. Rose brought her arms up around John's back as the kiss continued. When she gave an involuntary tiny whimper and her fingers clenched tighter into John's back, he gave a sigh of surrender and timidly ran his tongue along her lips. She opened slightly with a gasp and although both were unsure of themselves, the kiss quickly gained intensity as they matched each other's fervor.

John broke the kiss to gulp in some much-needed air and rested his forehead against Rose's with a smile as he saw she still had her eyes closed and was trying to catch her breath, as well. " _That_ was a little more than amazing," John teased.

Rose nodded and gave a breathless giggle. "Both types of kisses have their merits, but yeah. Think I agree with you."

Once he could step outside without looking like he'd just been snogged for all he was worth, John headed to Rose's door. "If you need me, you know where to find me."

Rose nodded. "I'll see you later, John."

After closing the door, Rose leaned against it with a small smile and sighed. She may have missed out on a few days of kissing John, but that one more than made up for it. With a skip in her step, she headed for her mother's room to start cleaning it out.

* * *

Entering Jackie's room was surreal. The room seemed smaller, colder and smelled differently than it had just days before. An uncomfortable shiver ran over her spine and Rose noisily blew out a breath. "I'm sorry, Mum. But I know you understand. It was the same when Dad died, yeah? You couldn't look at his things without crying, so anything that didn't have sentimental value attached to it was quickly tossed out, either as rubbish or given to charity."

She took a look around for a place to start and decided on the closet. She pulled out a few dresses that her mother had always said Rose would inherit and took them into her room. She returned with a large bag and began to toss clothes in as she continued talking to her mum. "I hope by clearing things out quickly, I can start to mend. I'll always miss you, obviously. And I'll always love you. But I think it would hurt worse to start feeling better, and then re-open all those wounds by having to come in and clear your things out. Just get it all done in one go, yeah?"

Once the closet was cleared out, Rose turned to her mother's dresser and began to methodically go through each drawer. In the last drawer, she found a photo album filled with pictures of her parents on their wedding day, pictures of her as a baby, and a few of her throughout childhood, most of them contained the three of them. Her mother, her father, and Rose smiling happily up until she was eighteen, the year her father died. There were just a few more from the last five years of Rose and her mother. As she looked at the one from the previous Christmas, her tears spilled over. There wouldn't be any Christmas Eve traditions with her mum this year. While Rose enjoyed the last Christmas tremendously, had she known it would be the last, she would have savored each second more than she had.

* * *

At the halfway mark in Jackie's room, Rose headed into the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea and grabbed a muffin for lunch. She laughed at herself slightly when she realized she had started crying again without realizing it. "You were right, John," she spoke to the empty room. "Alone and sad and crying."

She dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief and took a deep breath after finishing her tea. "Back to work."

When the pictures had been saved, the knick-knacks separated into important and not, all keepsakes sorted, and all books moved to Rose's bookcase, she plopped onto the sofa without any grace and groaned as she stretched her taxed muscles. Tomorrow, she would take things to the rubbish bins or to charity. For right now, she just wanted a bath and then some decent sleep.

* * *

Rose woke up feeling like a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Clearing out her mother's room was something that she would have dreaded and would have followed her around until the task was complete. With that done, and with the cathartic crying session she had while alone yesterday, she felt quite a bit better.

She still missed her mother. She always would. But that didn't mean she had to sit around and grieve forever. She would do what her mother always said to do when the day came that Rose was without her, carry on and be happy.

After dressing and eating a small breakfast, Rose grabbed the bags of trash and set them out before hauling the two large bags of clothes for charity down the street to the church.

Rose went to church most Sundays because Jackie had always insisted. _"Good girls go to church, Rose Tyler and so will you!"_ But Rose wasn't entirely sure what she believed. Of course, she kept that thought to herself since on one level, her mother was right. Good people were expected to go to church and if one didn't, public opinion was often unfavorable.

The vicar met her outside with a soft, sympathetic smile. "Hello, Miss Tyler."

Rose noticed the people filing into the church and winced. "It's Sunday, isn't it?"

The vicar nodded. "I think the Lord will forgive you for missing today's service. How are you holding up?"

Rose sighed and set the bags down so she could rub some circulation back into her fingers. "As well as can be expected, I guess. I've been dealing with this the way Mum did when Dad passed." She gestured at the bags. "I had to get her room cleared out and then I'll do what she always wanted."

The vicar nodded at a young man who came out to carry the bags into the church. "What would that be?"

"She always wanted me to be happy," Rose shrugged. "Can you imagine the fit Mum would throw if she saw me down here consumed by grief?"

The vicar let out a chuckle. "I can only imagine. Your mother was a force of nature." He paused and studied her face for a second. "You're sure everything is fine? Well, as fine as can be expected."

Rose took a deep breath and let it out shakily. "Yeah. Yeah, it really is."

* * *

Rose walked quickly to the school. It wasn't terribly appropriate to call on John in his quarters with no chaperone, but how else was she supposed to see him? Plus, she figured they were beyond caring what society thought of them at this point. She felt a smile growing the closer she got to his room. After having his nearly constant company for a few days, she missed him after just one day of solitude. She rapped at his door softly and seconds later, her eyes widened at the sight of a slightly disheveled John.

He let out a fake sob and dramatically dropped his head to her shoulder. Rose brought her hands up to pat his back. "There, there," she giggled. "What's the matter?"

John lifted his head and gestured grandly to his desk which had an impressive stack of papers on one side and an equal size stack on the other side. "I spent the entire day yesterday grading papers. And it seems if I want to get caught up, that's how I'll spend today as well."

Rose poked him in the chest, grinning with her tongue in the corner of her mouth. "And you wanted to go into London yesterday."

"It would have been time well spent," John retorted before stepping back so Rose could enter. "Come in. How was your day yesterday?"

Rose sighed. "Productive. I got everything sorted in Mum's room, so I won't have to think about that." She glanced up at his hair that was sticking up in multiple directions and gently pushed him to sit in a chair while she turned to grab his comb. With soothing sweeps of his comb, she fixed his hair into a more orderly style. "How did your hair get so messy?"

A low, rumbling hum was his only response and she just shook her head. Apparently having his hair touched was not only pleasurable for John, but kept him from focusing as well. She lightly tugged one of the strands that fell to his forehead since he wasn't paying any attention and had his eyes closed. His eyes fluttered open slowly and a grin stretched across his face. "Yes?"

Rose just shot him an amused smile. "You and your hair. They say the way to a man's heart is his stomach. I'm starting to think for you it's your hair."

"You got me. Scratch my head and I'm yours."

"In that case...," Rose reached over with a playful grin and carefully ran her nails along John's scalp. When she pulled back, his eyes were dark and intense and Rose felt her stomach swoop. Her eyes flicked to his lips and when she saw his do the same, she tentatively leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. Even though she wanted to continue kissing him forever, she kept it short, afraid of how far it could go if she let it continue. There was no denying the strong physical attraction between them, and she feared if left unchecked things could progress too quickly.

Once the pleasured daze cleared from Rose's mind, she gestured at the papers on John's desk. "Would you like some help?"

John gave her a sheepish smile. "You wouldn't mind?"

"Course not! It's not like I have anything else to do today. Besides…," she blushed and her voice lowered to almost a whisper, "…I like spending time with you."

"Me too." The quiet answer from John and the small accompanying flush on his face warmed Rose's heart.

* * *

Rose set her pen down to wiggle her fingers and raise her arms in a stretch. "How do you do this for hours at a time?"

John smiled at her as he leaned back in his chair. "Usually, I only have a few papers to grade at a time. This stack is out of control."

Rose's smile was guilty. "Have I been distracting you?"

John gave into his urge to nuzzle her temple as he grinned. "You, Rose Tyler, are the very best distraction."

She rolled her eyes and planted a playful kiss on his forehead as she pushed away from his desk. "I'm going to invade the kitchen and steal us some lunch."

John stood and saluted her. "Aye aye, pirate captain!"

Rose stuck her tongue out at him and then burst into a wide smile before heading out.

John felt three words sitting there on the edge of his tongue, but he wouldn't say them yet. Not after she had just lost her mother. Not in his room while they were grading papers. Not when their relationship was just coming up on three weeks. Had it only been that long? John frowned as he considered. Even though time seemed to fly by when he was with Rose, it felt like she was a part of him. He could barely picture his life before Rose and he wasn't sure he wanted to.

* * *

It was shortly before sunset when John set his pen down with a relieved sigh. The final paper was graded and he was caught up on his work. He glanced over at Rose who was still sitting next to him and had been watching him finish the last few papers. "Thank you for your help today."

"You're welcome." She seemed a little breathless and spellbound as she answered and John felt both eyebrows climb his forehead.

"Are you alright, Rose?"

She shook her head slightly and blinked as if she wasn't quite sure what was going on. "You wear glasses."

Confused, John reached up and adjusted them. "Only when my eyes get tired from too much reading. They're a very low prescription."

"They look really good on you," she murmured.

John grinned crookedly, amused by her attraction to his glasses. Not wanting to ruin the potency of the look, he tugged them off and placed them on his desk.

Rose followed the movement and then seemed to snap out of her daze. She stood and stretched, her mind working on dinner plans for the evening. "Do you want to come over for dinner?"

The delighted smile John shot her lit up his face. "If you're cooking, I very much want to come over for dinner."

Rose let out a cheeky grin. "Only if I cook?"

John shook his head. "I'll always want to join you, Rose."

She pulled on her coat and laced her arm with John's offered one. "Good."

* * *

John groaned as Rose cleared away the dishes. "Why did you let me eat so much, Rose?"

"I figured you knew your own limits!"

He groaned again and let his head flop onto the table melodramatically. Rose rolled her eyes at the silly man sitting at her dining table. John's head shot up and he looked at her accusingly. "And when will I get my day full of meals?"

Rose shook her head at him. "You complain about being too full and then wonder when you'll get more. The greed, John! The greed!" She winked at him. "Guess you'll have to wait for next weekend to collect since tomorrow's Monday."

The pout on John's face was adorable, but Rose just grinned at him. "You're evil, Rose Tyler."

"So I've heard." She turned around to get a fresh towel out of the drawer and John snatched it up to dry dishes for her. "You know, you could always join me for dinner in the evenings. I wouldn't mind at all."

John nodded as he gazed at her fondly. "I just might."

* * *

John led Rose outside after everything was clean and put away. It was getting late but neither one of them was quite ready to end their time together. The two strolled arm in arm towards one of the empty fields on the outskirts of the village. "Where are we going?"

"Right up this hill." At the top, John shook out the old blanket he had requested from Rose, spread it out on the grass, and directed her to lay down next to him. "Look."

Rose looked up at the sky and gasped at the view that was better than it was from her back garden. "Why is it so much clearer when we haven't gone that far away?"

"We're far enough away from the village that the lights won't obstruct the view here. The lights are too dim to carry that far." He paused as he studied the stars for a second. "If we were in London however, we'd have to travel a great deal farther to get away from the bright, city lights."

Rose marveled at the inky blackness, sprinkled with more glittering stars than she'd ever seen at any given time. "It's beautiful."

John turned his head to look at Rose. Seeing the delighted smile on her face, the wonder in her eyes, and with the moon's light casting her skin and hair in silvery lavender shades, he thought he'd never seen a more brilliant sight. "Yeah." He never thought it would be possible to fall in love so quickly, but Rose had blown that notion straight out of the water. He was undoubtedly in love with the glorious woman next to him.

Coming to a decision, John rolled over so he was on his stomach, looking down at Rose's curious expression. Slowly, he lowered his head and kissed her. With Rose's enthusiastic reciprocation, he unconsciously inched closer until half of his torso was leaning over Rose.

Rose lost herself in the pleasure of John's kiss. This one was more intense than the others, and it was scary and exhilarating in equal measures. She brought her arms up to clutch at his back, hardly in control of her own actions. She just wanted him closer. As his tongue glided along hers, she shivered and gave a small whimper. Her body was screaming at her to continue, to give him everything and let this go to its natural conclusion. And it seemed John's body agreed with hers as his hand ghosted shyly from her waist, past the side of her breast, and up to thread his fingers into her hair.

That barely there touch to the side of her chest finally snapped her from her lust-filled haze and allowed her mind to function logically. She pushed gently at John's chest and gulped in air as he pulled back slightly. "John, we need to slow down."

Looking just as dazed as Rose felt, John nodded dumbly and scooted over to put some distance between them. Rose felt a little pride in John's thoroughly dumbfounded look, though she probably shouldn't have. She sat up so she could face him. "I really like you John." She shook her head, frustrated with her lack of a good term. "Well, more than that, but it's all so very fast and intense. I love spending time with you and I very much enjoy what we've been doing. But I'm afraid I enjoy it a bit too much sometimes and I just need…," she spread her hands helplessly, unsure how to vocalize what she was trying to say.

John smiled and turned over so he could sit up, now that he had his anatomy back under control. "Rose, I'll never do anything you don't want me to. If you're ever uncomfortable with something, just tell me. You won't hurt my feelings. And I promise you, I will not compromise your virtue. If things start to get too intense between us, I will always pull back before that happens."

"Thank you." Rose pressed a small, thankful kiss to his lips and intertwined her fingers with his as she settled back in next to him to continue watching the stars.


	8. Chapter 8

Due to my strange method for writing, the confrontation scene is actually the very first thing I wrote for this story. And I'm oddly proud of it. :)

* * *

Chapter 8

* * *

The musty smell of the library greeted Rose on Monday morning and she breathed in deeply, feeling peaceful in her little sanctuary. This was her realm and she was queen of all she surveyed. She giggled at her silly thoughts and set to work on the massive stacks of books piled on her counter. It seemed like no one had bothered to take care of the library in her absence.

"Miss Tyler! It's good to see you back. Your cheerful face has been sorely missed around here." She turned at the voice and the kindly, old man who taught writing to the boys gently patted her cheek in a friendly manner. He took in the books sitting on the counter with raised eyebrows. "It seems you have plenty of work to catch up on as well."

Rose smiled at the grandfatherly figure before her. He had worked there forever, and she spoke to him daily, but he had a foreign name that she had never been able to pronounce, so she just never used it. "Thank you. It's nice to be back. Even if I do have quite the task in front of me."

He took her hand and patted the back of it sympathetically. "And how are you holding up, dear?"

Rose smiled tightly and answered politely. John warned her this was coming, and she expected it. But it was still going to be tough to get through today when all she wanted was to take refuge in her books and not think about her mother's passing.

* * *

Rose was sitting in her desk chair, massaging her temples to forestall the headache she could feel coming on. She had managed to get all of the books checked in and re-shelved. And she had managed to not snap at anyone as the influx of sympathetic colleagues and acquaintances bombarded her.

"Miss Tyler?"

Her head snapped up and she smiled at the young boy in front of her. The smile faded as he began to speak. "I'm sorry ab-," he was unable to continue when Rose thrust a hand out at him.

"Do not finish that statement, Mr. Latimer!" Taking in his wide, confused eyes, Rose sighed before explaining. "All I've heard today is everyone's condolences and I just can't stand to hear it anymore."

To her surprise, he gave a half-smile. "I was actually going to apologize for not keeping the library in shape. I would have checked in the books and put them away while you were gone, but I don't know how your system works."

"Oh." Rose's expression turned sheepish. "I'm sorry, Mr. Latimer," she apologized.

"Although I offer my condolences, as well." He shot her a smile before moving to grab his cleaning supplies.

"Cheeky child," Rose chastised, but she had a small smile on her face.

* * *

John had a skip in his step as he wandered down the hallway. Finding excuses to see Rose in the library was one of his favorite things to do, apart from actually seeing said woman in the library. As he neared, he spotted two of Timothy Latimer's tormentors approaching the library from the other direction and waited to see what would happen since Latimer was supposed to be helping Rose right around this time.

* * *

As Rose showed the young man how to record returned books and the system for shelving them, she saw him stiffen as two male voices grew louder.

"Well, there he is now. Being protected by the librarian, again," Hutchinson sneered.

Rose placed a calming hand on Tim's shoulder. "Mr. Latimer, would you please shelve these books for me? You know the system well enough, now." She smiled as he nodded and headed towards the back of the large room.

Jeremy Baines smiled coldly as he stepped closer to the library and its frowning keeper. "I'm sorry, Miss Tyler. But Mr. Latimer needs to be punished for his earlier indiscretions in class."

Rose tried to remain calm and professional. The two young men standing before her were intimidating, but she wasn't about to let them bully Tim. "I'm afraid the person whose permission you're operating under has no authority here. There will be no beatings in this library."

John smiled as he watched Rose. She was every bit the fiery Jackie Tyler's daughter, he'd give her that.

Baines' fake smile fell from his face. Being wealthy and privileged, he wasn't used to people telling him 'no'. "Well, that isn't your call, Miss Tyler. As a mere woman, you don't have the authority to stop us from doing what must be done."

"You have crossed a line, Mr. Baines. If you value your position here at this school, I suggest you learn your place! Leave now and I will not report this to Headmaster Rocastle." Rose's eyes flashed as her temper ignited, but she tried to breathe deeply to keep it in check. It would do no good to lose her temper with a student.

John's blood began to boil. How dare that insolent scoundrel threaten and belittle his Rose! However, he was immensely proud of how she was handling herself. He saw Tim stepping closer to the front of the library and held back. If the young man was going to grow a backbone and stand up to these two in defense of Rose, he wasn't about to stop him.

Jeremy Baines' face was almost purple in rage. "Hold your tongue, woman! I suggest _you_ learn _your_ place!" He took a step towards Rose, who showed almost no outward signs of fear. But her foot did slide back slightly, like she was fighting the urge to flee.

Suddenly, it didn't matter to John that Timothy Latimer was also moving to protect Rose, running to step between her and the advancing Baines. He stormed from his spot around the corner, striding quickly to the surprised group. "BAINES! HUTCHINSON!" he thundered, causing the two to flinch slightly.

Rose was relieved to see him, even when his expression was full of fury. As long as that wrath wasn't directed at her, she was fine. She also noticed Tim's shoulders deflate at the rescue and she felt a sort of big sisterly affection for the boy. He was willing to step in and protect her, even though her attackers were the ones who terrorized him.

John turned to her, his expression full of concern and untempered affection. "Are you alright, Miss Tyler?"

Rose nodded, one slightly shaking hand fiddling with the opposite sleeve cuff. "Yes. Thank you, Mr. Tyler."

He gifted her a tiny smile before turning back to the two young men and his fury reignited. "You two will not speak to a lady that way ever again! Do I make myself clear?" Mutinous stares were the only responses from the two boys.

John was well aware he was half-shouting and half-growling at the two in front of him, but he didn't care. He had an inkling he should tone it down for Rose's benefit, but these two had threatened her. He couldn't be blamed that he had no control over his anger at this point. "I do not care what you _think_ your rights and privileges are. If Miss Tyler does not allow you to fight in her library or to pull Mr. Latimer away when he is assisting her, then you WILL. NOT. DO IT!" The full force of his ire fueled the look he shot to Jeremy Baines. "Were you about to lay hands on her, Baines? Were you about to physically assault a member of staff? And on top of that, a lady?"

Baines' spine stiffened as he returned John's infuriated gaze. "Women should know their place, sir."

Rose had just a second to see John's nostrils flare and his eyes narrow even further before he grabbed both boys by the back of their jackets and began to lead them to the headmaster's office. He paused just a few feet away and turned back to shoot a small smile at Tim. "Thank you, Mr. Latimer, for being willing to step in and defend when necessary."

Tim nodded and then turned his attention to Rose, who was taking deep breaths and watching her hands tremble. "Are you alright, Miss Tyler?"

"Yes, thank you. For your concern and your protection, Mr. Latimer."

He blushed and shrugged. "I couldn't let them hurt you."

Rose picked up the book John had dropped as he rushed to intervene and logged it into her records, frowning when her trembling hands made the writing illegible. "Mr. Latimer, would you be so kind as to accompany me to Mr. Tyler's room? He has a tea there that boasts of its calming effects. I know he won't mind if I borrow some to try and alleviate this tremor."

"Of course, Miss Tyler."

* * *

As Rose rooted around, looking for the tea she had seen yesterday, Tim thought he heard something. Just a whisper, a ghost of sound that had him looking over his shoulder to see who was there. That touch of sound kept calling to him and he slowly inched his way over to the mantle, where a fob watch sat. There was nothing remarkable about the watch, aside from the elaborate design engraved on the front. As Tim got ready to move away and try to find the source of the sound, the watch glowed a subtle, soft shade of gold and then just as suddenly stopped.

"Take me," the watch whispered and Tim felt compelled to obey. He slipped the watch into his pocket just as Rose turned back around with a triumphant grin.

"Found it!" She and Tim made their way into the kitchens and she brewed herself and Tim a cup, figuring they both could use some after the altercation earlier.

She took a satisfying sip of tea and smiled at Latimer. "Well, that was more excitement than we needed today, yeah?"

He nodded as he took a sip. "I'm just glad Mr. Tyler was there to stop them. I would have tried, but I don't know if I would have been much help, Miss Tyler."

Rose gave his hand a friendly pat. "Just remember, Mr. Latimer. Wealth and privilege can give someone an advantage. But it does not automatically make them a good person. Despite the ridiculous amounts of wealth in Mr. Baines' and Mr. Hutchinson's families, you are a far better gentleman than either of them."

A shy smile was her reward. "Thank you, Miss Tyler."

* * *

John hurried to the library as quickly as he could after school, needing to be reassured that Rose was unharmed. Rose was smiling brightly at him as he entered, but he still ran his eyes over her figure, making sure there were no signs of injury. "Are you alright?"

Rose nodded. "I'm fine, thanks to you."

John blew out a relieved breath. "I wanted to come check on you earlier, but couldn't get away from class long enough. You were shaking pretty badly when I left."

"Ah. Also cured, thanks to you." She bit her lip as she looked up at him. "I pilfered some of your calming tea afterwards. I'm sorry. I noticed it sitting there yesterday and thought nothing of it. And then today after that whole ordeal, I figured it would help the trembling. I'm sorry," she admitted.

John was smiling at her fondly. "Rose, if I have anything that you think may help you, of course you're welcome to it. Don't even hesitate or think twice."

She hadn't hesitated, and now she felt a bit ashamed of just barging into his room like that. She just nodded at him, trying to swallow down the lump in her throat, borne of both her shame at her own audacity and the warmth in his words.

John held his arm out with a bright smile. "Ready to head home?"

Rose took his arm and leaned her head on his shoulder for a second in gratitude. "Yeah, let's go."

* * *

Just breathing in the clean air and feeling the refreshing bite of late autumn's chill helped to clear the rest of the tension from Rose's shoulders. "I feel better just getting out of that stuffy building." She cuddled a bit closer into John's side as they began the trek across school grounds. They always made this part of the journey fairly quickly, since they felt it inappropriate if they linked hands inside school property. "And I think everyone has expressed their condolences and sympathies, so hopefully things will start going back to normal."

John nodded. "Until next Monday."

Rose shot him a perplexed expression. "Why? What's different about next Monday?"

"The funeral is Saturday," John reminded her. "It will just bring it all back to the surface."

Rose blew out a breath and John patted the hand that was threaded through his arm. "I'm still here for you, Rose. If Monday gets to be too much and you feel like you need to escape on Tuesday, just say the word and we'll run away to some far off and exotic land."

Rose giggled at his melodramatic voice and exuberant gestures. "Don't tempt me, John Tyler."

They walked in silence as they left the school grounds and stepped on the path leading into the village. Rose and John brought their hands up simultaneously and sighed in unison as their hands laced together.

John brushed his thumb along Rose's and spoke softly. "I'm sorry you had to see that. Me yelling at Baines and Hutchinson."

A bashful smile was sent his way. "I felt safer with you there. I just…knew if you were there, everything would be okay."

John's heart swelled. Nothing could make him feel more appreciated than those words. "I still wish you didn't have to see me so angry. I don't ever want you to be frightened of me."

Rose shook her head. "Don't worry about it. People were always saying how terrifying Mum was when she was angry and I never thought she was all that scary. Then again, I loved Mum. So, maybe it's just the same as…," she trailed off, realizing what she was about to admit.

Her nervous eyes flitted to John's and saw that his were wide and hopeful. He turned to stand in front of her and gently cupped her shoulders. "Rose, if…please…," he stopped, closed his eyes, and swallowed. "If you really mean it, please say it." She had almost said it once in a round-about way, the night of their passionate kiss under the stars. As much as he was longing to say those words to her, he couldn't bear it if she danced around them again.

Rose bit her lip. Her nerves were causing her hands to shake again and John noticed. It was an entirely different brand of fear from this afternoon, but fear all the same. John slid his hands down her arms to gently grasp her hands and rub soothing touches across her knuckles. She held his gaze and finally found the courage to whisper, "I love you."

A smile like dawn breaking spread across John's face. "I love you, too." It was so much more freeing to say the words than he had anticipated.

Rose felt tears welling up in her eyes as giddiness engulfed her. She had no idea it was possible to feel so happy.

John brought a trembling hand up to softly trace her cheek, wiping away an escaped tear. He carefully slid his fingers into her hair, mindful of her bun, and lowered his head so his next words brushed her lips. "May I?"

"Always," Rose whispered, smiling gently.

When John's lips swept over hers this time, the knowledge that they loved each other brought a new level of heat to their actions. Rose's resistance was lowered slightly and John seemed even more determined to prove he loved her by turning her legs into jelly. Rose had a passing thought that she was so glad they were on a secluded section of path that few people used or could see. She certainly wouldn't want anyone to witness this private and precious moment.

As John's tongue twined with hers, Rose gasped into his mouth as her knees gave way. John let out a self-satisfied chuckle against her lips as he tightened his hold around her waist to support her. The sound and vibration just pulled Rose further under and she pressed indecently close to John with a soft moan. Her hands wandered without her conscious permission and slid up into John's hair. When her nails lightly scratched at his scalp and she gave a gentle tug, it was John's turn to groan. He pulled Rose tighter against him and when that put pleasant pressure on his aching groin, he knew it was time to stop. Embarrassment flooded through him and he just hoped the layers of Rose's work dress and coat kept her from feeling that.

Rose sucked in air after John slowly eased them out of the kiss. "Blimey," she managed to get out.

John rested his forehead against Rose's as they both struggled to catch their breath. "Rose?"

"Yeah?"

"Is this a perfect moment?"

Rose gave a breathless giggle. "Yes. To me, this feels like a perfect moment."

John pulled back and took one of her hands from around his neck, placed a lingering kiss to the back of it and then held it against his chest. "Will you do me the honor of accompanying me to the village dance?"

Rose giggled again, this one fuller and happier than the one before. The sound had charmed John the first time he heard it on his first day at Farringham. It had charmed him every subsequent time he heard it. And it still charmed him now. "Of course I'll accompany you, John." Her smile became a playful pout and she gazed up at him through her lashes. "You realize you didn't leave me much time to get prepared, don't you?"

John frowned slightly. "I'm sorry, Rose. I didn't mean to – mmpf."

Rose cut him off with a quick kiss to his lips. "I'm just kidding. Mum had my dress picked out and purchased ages ago. She was determined to get me dressed up and married off," she waved a hand dismissively. "I'll be perfectly happy to get dressed up and then just dance with the man I love."

Completely overwhelmed with how much he loved her, John moved her hand back up around his neck so he could put both hands on her waist, tightened the embrace he and Rose were sharing and then tilted his head to catch her lips again. He kept it slow and chaste this time, not willing to repeat the actions that led to parts of his anatomy betraying him. "I love you," he whispered again, so relieved to be able to say it.

Rose's smile was bright and playful with her tongue perched in her teeth. "Careful, John Tyler. You'll start something and I'll want to hear it all the time."

John smiled as he gently nudged Rose's nose with his own and dropped tiny, quick kisses around her mouth. "That works out then, since I'll want to say it all the time."

"I love you, too." Rose pushed herself up on her toes so she could land a teasing kiss to his nose and then turned and laced their arms and hands back together.

John blinked quickly at the unexpected kiss before smiling gently down at Rose, who was looking straight ahead and beaming from ear to ear. "So, can I claim one of those dinners you offered tonight?"

Rose smiled up at him. "You're going to have to because I'm not going to let you drop me off at my door and leave now."

Though he knew she didn't mean it in a provocative way, John felt a small zing in the pit of his stomach. "No?"

Rose sent him a look that was part embarrassment, part flirtation. "I like having you around. I don't like it when you leave and I find myself impatiently waiting for the next time I can see you."

John's affection for her swelled at her words and then swelled again when she shyly averted her gaze. He brought her eyes back to his with a tender touch to her chin. "I feel like that, too."

The two besotted individuals found themselves completing the walk to Rose's house in silence. Instead of stifling and awkward, the silence was comfortable as they each processed the revelations of the day. As John took his coat off at her house, something in his pocket bumped his leg and reminded him. He had more dreams to share with Rose.

* * *

Rose was trying to do three things simultaneously and she wasn't sure if she was doing any of them halfway decently. She was trying to cook dinner. She was trying to listen to John recount some of his recent dreams. And since he had removed his suit coat and was just wearing his grey waistcoat with his shirt sleeves rolled up, she was trying to ogle him without him noticing. She was outright failing at that last one if the smug smirk he kept sending her was any indication. Attractive git.

Rose turned her attention fully to chopping and mixing the ingredients into the soup that would make a fine meal on a chilly evening. John had gone quiet and she didn't dare turn to look at him. Sometimes when he got quiet, she would turn to look and see him looking at her so intensely it was a wonder she hadn't burst into flames. If she saw him turning one of those looks on her now, she was almost certain the two of them would meet in a passionate explosion. And she just wasn't ready for that.

Finally, the soup was ready and she couldn't avoid looking at him anymore. She set a bowl in front of him and gasped as she saw him shading in a few last spots on his latest sketch. "Is that me?"

The timid smile he shot her made her chest clench. "It doesn't do you justice."

Rose begged to differ. The beautiful woman who was cooking with the serene smile on her face could not be her. "I'm not that pretty, John."

"I happen to think you're beautiful. And the more I get to know you, the more beautiful you become, every day."

Rose blushed and turned from him quickly to collect her own bowl. "Quit flirting with me, John," she admonished with a quirk of her lips. "You're too good at it."

The laugh that admission coaxed from the man across from her was a sound she wanted to hear multiple times a day, everyday, for the rest of her life.


	9. Chapter 9

So, low-ish M this chapter. Maybe high T? Either way, it gets a little heated here. Fair warning.

* * *

Chapter 9

* * *

John awoke feeling tingly and all sorts of happy. He had told Rose he loved her. She loved him. They had an amazing evening together the night before. It was only him working on grading papers while she helpfully stitched a loose button back on his jacket properly, but it was the sort of evening he would like to enjoy on a more permanent basis.

And that bliss seemed to have leaked over into his dreams since not only was Rose the Doctor's companion, but they had an adventure that wasn't full of danger as most of the Doctor's seemed to be. It was just the two of them, lying on their backs in a meadow on the ridiculously long coat the Doctor wore, watching the sun set in the sky as the scent of apples wafted around them.

Everything was happening so quickly with Rose. It had been three weeks, just three short weeks since they met, and he was completely in love with her. He had told Jack that sometimes, you just knew. But still, his friend's words had struck a bit of a chord with him. It _was_ fast. Terrifyingly so. However, every time he saw Rose a sense of calm and serenity stole over him and he no longer cared that it was happening so quickly. There was no doubt that they loved each other, no doubt that they were unbelievably happy together, no doubt that they had lots of things to talk about and had many things in common. So really, what was there to fear or stop them from moving forward? He could think on it later.

With the knowledge that he would see Rose in just a couple short hours, he hopped out of bed and whistled as he started his day.

* * *

Timothy Latimer ran his eyes over the fob watch again as he reclined in his bed. Here in his room, he was mortified at his behavior. Stealing was not something he had ever done, and to have done it to a fair and kind teacher like Mr. Tyler made the shame more severe. But that watch had called to him. He couldn't explain it and he knew everyone else would think him insane, but he had distinctly heard the watch talk. Now though…it wasn't doing anything now except ticking away the time. With a sigh, he put it down to get up and get ready for classes. He could ponder the strange watch later.

* * *

Timothy Latimer regarded the watch that sat on his desk. Now that classes for the day were over and his homework was complete, he found himself staring at the intricate design on the cover, slightly mesmerized. "Listen to me," the watch whispered and the young man jolted at the unexpected sound. It hadn't spoken since he had taken it and he was beginning to fear he may have imagined the whole experience.

With trembling fingers, he hesitantly picked up the watch and took a deep, steadying breath before bringing it closer to his ear. The whispering increased in speed, until the voice from the watch was speaking at a normal pace, regaling Tim with stories of the Time Lord and his travels. After a few seconds, it became too much and he tossed the watch away from him, his breathing going ragged as his heart pounded furiously in his chest.

"Please listen," the watch pleaded.

"Why?" Tim asked. He felt foolish for speaking to an inanimate object, but maybe it would answer some of his questions.

"Please listen. I'll explain," the watch whispered again and Tim settled back in his chair. Better prepared for the speech this time, he pulled the watch closer and listened to the many stories the watch told him. His disbelief growing as he learned Mr. Tyler's secrets.

* * *

Rose was trying to concentrate on dinner preparation, she really was. But the sight just beyond her kitchen window was deeply unfair. She watched as John swung the axe down again, splitting another log in two. Something deep down in her belly wrenched at the sight and she quickly dropped her eyes to the potato she was supposed to be peeling and the one completely peeled potato in the pot next to her. Ten minutes into dinner preparation and she had peeled one lousy potato. _'Then again…,'_ she thought as she raised her eyes in time to see John's back muscles shift and flex – his shirt pulling tight – as he swung the axe. She figured she could be forgiven for being distracted.

She had managed to compose herself once he started gathering the wood into piles and by the time he came in, dinner was well under way. "Thank you for chopping more wood, John. Usually, Daniel Jacobs comes over to chop, but he's come down with a cold recently."

John frowned as he tried to cover up a twinge of jealousy. "Daniel Jacobs? Can't say I've ever heard of him," he went for nonchalant and missed by a mile.

Rose smiled at her daft man. "Daniel Jacobs is the fourteen-year-old grandson of Mrs. Jacobs down the street. Mum caught him trying to steal some bread one day last year so she cut him a deal. If he chopped firewood for us, she would give him two loaves a week as payment."

John flushed, realizing his jealously had been detected. "Ah."

Rose put her arms around his neck. Now that they had confessed to loving each other, she was no longer too shy to initiate _some_ affection. "Ah, indeed."

Taking advantage of her semi-embrace, John pulled her closer and rested his chin on her shoulder. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath of her, and then exhaled on a contented sigh.

Rose pulled back slightly to place a kiss on his cheek and then pulled back further to look at him. "Feel better?"

John pouted and dropped his eyes to the floor. "Maybe."

Rose cupped his cheeks and pressed a quick, giggling kiss to his grinning lips. "I love you," she giggled out.

"I love you, too," John replied, grinning at her so widely his cheeks ached.

* * *

After dinner, Rose and John sat in her living room. As she helped him grade papers, he kept sneaking peeks at her. At times, she would twirl a lock of hair that had fallen loose from her bun as she looked over the papers. Other times, he would catch her chewing her bottom lip. Each time he was overcome with how beautiful she was. "I want to paint you," he blurted suddenly, startling himself as well as Rose.

"What?" She was looking at him with curious eyes, almost like she thought she didn't hear him correctly.

With pink cheeks, John plunged ahead. He did want to paint her, he was just surprised it had come out so abruptly. "I would like to paint you. If you would allow it."

He watched in fascination as a blush spread across Rose's cheeks. "Alright. If you really want to, that's fine," she spoke quietly, a bit bewildered.

John smiled as he gathered up the papers they had just finished grading. "Wonderful!" he exclaimed, now excited by the opportunity. He stood and started throwing on his coat and hat.

"Wait! Are you leaving already?" Rose was watching him with wide eyes, clearly dismayed by his impending absence. "It's still early."

John smiled tenderly as he stepped up to her. "I want to get paints before the shop closes. And then tomorrow or Thursday, I would like to paint you." John moved in to kiss her, the kiss chaste and sweet. He was terrified to let himself kiss her as he wished to do, knowing his control slipped when he did and worried it would completely snap if he allowed himself the luxury of a more passionate kiss. He murmured his love to her one more time as he hugged her close, smiling when the sentiment was returned. "Goodnight, love."

"Goodnight." Rose smiled as she watched him move off into the night, feeling incredibly lucky that such a wonderful and beautiful man wanted to spend time with her and loved her.

* * *

John had to prepare an exam on Wednesday evening so he returned to the school shortly after dinner with Rose. Both were disappointed their time together had to end so quickly, but understood it was a necessity.

Now on Thursday, John gazed at Rose as they quietly made the walk to her house from the school. He was excited to paint her, but was still trying to decide on a pose and a location. They walked along a section of the path that had a few trees still stubbornly clinging to their last few leaves and the sunlight dappling across Rose's face made for a stunning sight. For a split second, John considered painting her there, and then decided against it. He didn't want anything blocking any portion of Rose's face in this painting, even if the shadows made for an enticing image.

Rose opened the door to her house and motioned for John to enter first since he was carrying an easel and a large bag with painting supplies. After they removed their coats, Rose fiddled with her hands as she faced John. "Um, I have to admit I'm a bit nervous about this."

"Letting me paint you?"

"I just…what if I mess it up somehow? What if I can't stay still and throw everything off?" There was a tremor in her voice and John folded her into an embrace. His desire to keep her safe, from even her own fears, was an unstoppable force.

"Rose, if you need to shift or move, it's okay. You won't mess anything up, I promise."

Rose started to pull back to look up at him, but John made a small noise of discontent and tightened his arms around her. With a giggle, she slumped back into him and tightened her own hold. "I thought I was allowed to move," she mumbled teasingly into his chest.

"I meant during the painting. I'm not done hugging you, yet." John sighed happily as he leaned his cheek against the top of her head. His eyes fluttered open after another content moment of holding his beloved and were drawn to the window in the living room. It was a simple spot with a chair in front of it, a plant next to it and with the light streaming in, it was perfect. "I think I know where to paint you now."

He pulled back from the embrace, grabbed her hand, and led Rose over to the chair. He gently pushed her down and made a few adjustments to how she was seated and stepped back to admire his work. The setting sun streaming into the window cast Rose in an ethereal glow and John couldn't stifle the gasp that slipped out. "Beautiful."

Rose blushed and he spun around to quickly set up his easel. Rose tried not to fidget as he got everything ready. "Shouldn't we wait until after dinner?"

"No time." He had thrown on his glasses and was already mixing paints onto his palette at a furious pace. "That light won't hold out for long and I really want to capture you like this." He paused for a second as he realized that had come out rather demanding. In his haste to get started and not lose that light, his manners had seemingly disappeared. "I'm sorry, Rose. That sounded rude, but I didn't mean it that way. Are you okay with having a later dinner?"

Rose was blinking at him, a little distracted by the appearance of his glasses. She coughed slightly to regain her composure and managed a sweet smile for him. "That's fine."

John tried to hide his smirk at her reaction. Her love of his glasses amused him.

* * *

It seemed to her like hours had passed as John painted. Through it all, she managed to keep still and not shift, although most of her muscles were screaming at her to move. John had turned on the lamps some time ago as the outside light dwindled and faded completely. Finally, he set down his brush and palette and flexed his fingers. "Come look at it, Rose."

She gave a blissful sigh as she stood and her muscles all stretched in relief, circulation returning to some areas that had gone numb. John stepped back so she could stand in front of him and see the painting. She gave a little gasp as she took it in. With the backlight streaming in the window, she almost seemed to glow. John's soft lines and the way he had lovingly captured every detail of her appearance, making her so much more beautiful than she believed herself to be, brought tears to her eyes. "This is amazing."

John stepped up and folded his arms around her waist, molding himself to her back. "My muse is amazing," he countered, murmuring into her ear. "That's you, by the way," he whispered, enjoying the little shiver that ran through her when his lips grazed her ear.

Rose leaned back into him, closing her eyes and soaking in the feeling of him pressed to her so intimately. She turned in his arms and looped her own around his neck. "Thank you."

John responded by pulling his glasses off and kissing her. When Rose shyly ran her tongue along his lips, all of his noble intentions to keep it chaste flew out the proverbial window. He opened up for her and with every timid swipe of her tongue along his and every slide of her fingers through his hair, his control slipped a little further.

When she pulled away to gasp in some air, John grit his teeth and stepped back from her before she could kiss him again. "Rose, I'm trying to keep myself under control so that I don't ask for more than you're ready or willing to give. When you kiss me like that, it makes it incredibly hard to do so."

Rose bit her lip as she considered his words. She could understand, she honestly could. She felt the same way herself, sometimes, like if she continued to kiss him, she wouldn't be able to stop herself. And as much as she loved John, she had promised her mother a long time ago, that she wouldn't have 'those sorts of relations' until she was married. Just thinking of the hardships her cousin was enduring as an unwed mother helped Rose stick to her promise when things got heated with John, as they often did.

"I understand. I really do." She let out a shaky exhale and John shot her a smug smile, seeing the effect he had on her. "Shut up," she admonished with a grin. Her smile fell as she led him to the couch to sit while she explained.

"Six years ago, my cousin had a child out of wedlock. The only people who cared more about her and the baby than reputations, was her mother and Mum and me. The rest of the family just turned their backs on her. The baby's father has always claimed little Charles isn't his and won't help, even though he looks like an exact copy of him. After that, Mum made me promise I wouldn't go down that same path. So, I promised her I wouldn't engage in…certain activities…until I was married." Rose's blush was bright and pronounced discussing this with John. "That's why I can't and I keep asking you to wait."

She was going to stop there, but then she figured, in for a penny, in for a pound. "I want to. Believe me, it is so very hard to tell you to stop or to wait when that's the last thing I want to do. I love you, John. I want to share this with you and give myself completely to you," she felt John stiffen, but plowed ahead now that she was getting all of it out in the open, "but I don't want to have children out of wedlock." Her blush intensified to the point she thought she must either be purple, or her head was about to explode. She could feel the heat radiating from her face. "And well, if you do...you know…that…babies are a very real possibility."

Rose finally looked up at John only to see his normally chocolate-colored eyes were almost completely black and his breathing was just a bit labored. If the smoldering look he was giving her didn't melt the clothes right off her body, she'd be surprised.

"John?"

He leaned in and cupped her cheek. "Can I kiss you?"

Rose was a little confused, by both his demeanor at the moment and the question. "I told you before, 'always'. I meant that." She brought her hands up around his back. Kissing him was so much better when she could hold him.

His kiss was slow, languid, and not at all innocent. His lips connected with hers and moved slowly and patiently, gliding against her mouth to see which angles caused her fingers to clutch his shoulders tighter. The pressure increased gradually until he ran his tongue along her lips to coax her to open for him. As their tongues danced and the kiss gained intensity, John slowly began to lean forward, causing Rose to lean back until she was lying on the couch with her head supported by a throw pillow.

The position made her a little nervous, but then she scolded herself. This was John, and she trusted him to stop when she needed him to. Despite her nerves, Rose had to admit that having him lying on top of her and kissing her was the most erotic thing she had ever experienced. Not that it had anything to compare to. She was practically trembling as John's hands squeezed her waist and then she felt his thumbs tracing slow circles on her stomach. Even through the layers of her dress, she could feel the warmth of his hands.

She had to pull back from his kiss, dizzy from the lack of oxygen and her own surging arousal. Instead of pulling back himself, John moved his attentions to her neck, barely there touches of his lips and his tongue that had Rose's thighs quaking. "Oh, God." She threaded her fingers into his hair, intending to tug him away, but she was pretty sure she was holding him in place instead. "John," she breathed out, "we have to stop."

John softly bit down on her earlobe and spoke into her neck, so that his lips and breath ghosted against her skin with every word. "There are things we can do, Rose, that would be pleasurable without risking a pregnancy," he murmured, voice deep and husky.

She didn't know what he meant by that, but she trusted him. Rose whimpered and turned her head to catch John's mouth. She alternated between softly scratching at his scalp and squeezing his shoulders as her pleasure mounted. Instead of making the soft sigh Rose loved hearing when she played with his hair, John made a sort of growling, moaning noise that sent heat spiraling through her torso.

John's hand started to slowly move up from her waist and Rose silently begged him to do what it seemed he was about to do. As his hand gently closed around her breast and his thumb brushed the peak, Rose moaned softly. The fabric of her dress seemed to make it better as he was able to handle her a bit more roughly, the sensations muted by her dress. His hand continued to knead, thumb brushing until her nipple was hard and then carefully pinching and pulling it between his fingers.

Rose was so overcome with arousal that ideas were swirling and tumbling through her mind, fantasies and actions she wanted to do with John. But her nerves kept her from doing any of them. She wanted to grab John's bum, she wanted to push him down while she arched up, she wanted to touch herself in the burning area between her legs, more than that, she wanted John to touch her there. All these things she wanted, she would never do and never ask for because she was too shy to do so.

It almost seemed as if John read her mind as his hips rolled forward, seeking some sort of friction. Rose gasped and arched up as she felt him roll into her center.

The sound of her gasp and the sharp burst of pleasure shocked John enough to bring him out of his daze. He had no idea where this animalistic behavior was coming from. Logically, he knew how these things usually worked – that happened with a friend like Jack – but this was almost instinct and he was shocked at himself. He was always a gentleman around Rose, had always strived to be someone she could be proud to be seen with, had always craved her trust. She said she felt safe with him earlier and now he wondered if he had destroyed that. "Rose, I'm sorry. I don't know what got into me." He scrambled to try to climb up off of her, but Rose's arms clamped down, holding him in place.

"Don't go."

Rose was shivering with nerves and arousal and John felt terrible for doing this to her. "I'm so sorry, Rose." He cuddled her close, hoping just holding her would calm her down some. When her tremors subsided, John placed a soft kiss to her forehead and stood, helping her into a seated position.

With a glance at her kiss-swollen lips, mussed hair, flushed cheeks and darker than normal eyes, John clenched his fists and closed his eyes. "Rose, I love you. Please lock the door behind me and don't let me back in tonight." He grabbed his coat and hat and swept out the door.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

* * *

Rose locked the door after John left, feeling frustrated and confused. The bizarre thought that she never cooked dinner tonight flashed through her head and she frowned. She wasn't at all hungry, so it didn't matter much. And what had just transpired with John was certainly more important than one missed meal.

She was still aroused. It wasn't as potent as earlier, thank goodness. When John had said there were things they could do that wouldn't end in pregnancy, she had been ready and willing to learn and try everything that was running through his mind. She still was ready, if she was being honest. She loved John, so when the fear of becoming with child was removed, she wanted to share all those things that she had never experienced before with him. She loved him completely and she wanted him to be the one she could trust in her most vulnerable moments, and she wanted him to trust her in the same way.

She was also confused. It seemed as if John's carefully kept control had snapped. While it was a little bit scary to see him so out of control, it was also empowering to know she affected him that way. With a sigh, she headed off to get clean and go to bed. Maybe a good night's sleep would help her lingering adrenaline and swirling thoughts.

* * *

Jack frowned as he took in John's appearance. "You look like hell. What happened?"

John couldn't help the smile. "As blunt as always, Harkness."

"Seriously." Jack set his books on John's desk while he waited for the man to finish getting ready to head down to classes. "What happened?"

John scrubbed his hands down his face and flopped heavily into a chair. "Can you make sure Rose gets home safe for me? I usually walk her home after school, but I messed up yesterday and need to find a way to apologize."

Jack's frown deepened. "What did you do?"

"I messed up bad, Jack."

Jack waited for him to elaborate, but sensed this was all he was going to get on the matter. He had been trying to push them apart, but now… Jack grit his teeth. All he could say, was the Doctor better still love Rose when he came back or Jack was going to cause him to regenerate. Again.

"I'll walk her home." Jack pointed a stern finger at John. "Whatever the hell you did, you better make it right."

John couldn't help a smirk. "I thought you didn't want us to be together."

"That was before, when I thought this would only end in heartbreak." He still thought that, but it was too late now. "And I like Rosie. She's _good_ , John."

"I know. Far too good for the likes of me. But for some reason, she loves me and I'm not about to squander that gift." John stood and put on his teaching robes.

A thought occurred to Jack, things that he would have done and he narrowed his eyes at his friend. "You didn't…you know…have relations with another woman, did you?"

John's gaze turned stormy and his voice frosty as he answered. "No. I would _never_ hurt Rose that way. Never."

Jack nodded. "Good."

* * *

Rose waited for John at the library. Things may be a little awkward between them at first, but they needed to talk this out and sort through it. It may not be pleasant, but as her mum always told her, 'if those little arguments and uncomfortable situations don't break you, they'll only make you stronger as a couple'.

"Hey, Rosie!" Jack's voice broke into her thoughts and she smiled at him.

"Hello, Mr. Harkness. How are you today?"

Jack sighed. "First of all, please call me Jack," he almost whined at her. "'Mr. Harkness' is way too formal and I've allowed it long enough."

Rose giggled at the whine. "Fine. Jack, then."

The man in question beamed and continued. "Second, I'm here to walk you home today. John said he had something to do, but still wanted to make sure you got home safely."

Rose's stomach churned. Was he running away from her? From this? Was last night just too much for him to handle?

She managed a tremulous smile. "Alright. Thank you, Jack."

He didn't mention the moisture he saw gathering in her eyes – since he saw her trying to hide it – and merely offered his arm. "Anytime, Rosie."

* * *

John frantically looked through the shelves in the flower shop that was situated next to the Miller twins' house. He had seen Jack drop Rose off at home just seconds ago and the utter despair etched onto her face broke his heart.

"Did you need help?"

John jumped at the voice and turned to see an older lady approaching him. He couldn't remember at the moment if Lily or Petunia ran the flower shop, but that didn't really matter right now. "I need apology flowers," he admitted.

A tiny smile appeared on the woman's face. "Are these to apologize to a young lady?" She asked with a knowing look.

At John's nod, she sighed. "I have what you need in the greenhouse. The purple hyacinth symbolizes apologies and pleas for forgiveness. But in nature, it only grows in early spring. Is this young lady important – romantically – for you?"

John nodded again. "In that case, I think you'll also need some roses. White for purity, red for love." She turned a conspiratorial smirk his way. "You could just go with red, but the white will make a nice buffer against the purple and pull it all together nicely."

Something within John squirmed at buying roses for Rose, but he pushed it aside. Maybe she'd see humor in it and not cringe as John feared she would. He watched as the flowers were all arranged in the woman's practiced hands – Lily, he suddenly remembered – and had to admit the resulting bouquet was beautiful. He tried not to let on how impressed he was. After all, this woman and her sister had said terrible things about Rose when he stayed with her after Jackie's passing, but they were the only florists in the village.

Bouquet in hand, John made his way over to Rose's house. The door opened and John's heart fell as he saw Rose's red and teary eyes. "Oh, Rose love, I'm so sorry." He wrapped his arms around her, careful not to get the flowers caught in her hair. He moved himself and Rose further into the house so he could shut the door with his foot. "I'm so sorry."

Rose pulled back after a few seconds. "I thought maybe I scared you away," she croaked around the lump in her throat.

"No, love, no. I just…I feel terrible about pushing you like that last night. I asked Jack to bring you home because I wanted to apologize properly. So, I stopped to get these." He presented the medium-sized bouquet to her and then panicked as her eyes filled with tears again. "Oh, what did I do? How do I make this right? Rose?"

She laughed at his anxiety. "Calm down, John." She gave a watery smile through the new set of tears. "I was already crying, so the happy tears come easier right now. Thank you."

She took the time to compose herself as she placed the flowers in a vase. She moved back into John's arms and cuddled as close as possible. "I wasn't mad at you last night. You didn't need to apologize."

"But, I thought...," he trailed off helplessly and Rose pulled back and led him to the sofa.

"All the things we did last night, I enjoyed." John cocked his eyebrow, giving her a dubious look and she swatted his arm playfully. "I did! I want to experience things with you that I've never wanted before. It's a scary thing to admit that and take that step, but I love you. Yes, things are happening quickly for us. But I also trust you and feel safe with you. If experiencing those things is the next step in our relationship, then I want that, John. I don't want us to end up in a stalemate where we both end up miserable because we won't go forward due to fear." She took a deep breath to gather her courage and locked eyes with the man in front of her. "If I won't get pregnant, then I want to know what you were thinking last night."

John just barely suppressed a shiver at the heat in her gaze. "Are you sure?"

"Will you regret it and run?" she countered.

John leaned forward to cup her cheek and gave her a soft kiss. "I love you, Rose. I could never regret anything good that happens between us. And I won't run."

A soft smile lit her face. "Then I'm sure." She stood and made her way into the kitchen. "But first, I'm starving. And I'm sure you have papers to grade."

John felt glee fill his whole being. He took a seat at the dining table and pulled out the small stack of papers he needed to grade. "Yes, dear."

Rose stuck her tongue out at him as she walked by to grab a pot and then squealed as John grabbed her wrist and yanked her down into his lap. "John! What are you doing?" She stilled as he just cuddled her innocently. She rested her arms on his shoulders and tilted her head to rest her cheek on top of his head. "This is nice."

John squeezed her lightly before tipping his chin up to catch her lips in a sweet kiss. "I love you."

Rose turned slightly so she could wrap her arms more fully around his neck and hug him. "I love you, too."

One more quick kiss and he released her to go back to her cooking. Shy glances and smiles were traded as she cooked and he graded. A new chapter was a little frightening, change always is, but they were ready for it. And both of them were resolved, that after dinner, that new chapter could begin.

* * *

Rose and John stood side-by-side, washing and drying the dinner dishes. The activity was familiar and comforting, a nice contrast to the new and unknown territory they were headed into. While they were excited for the upcoming changes, it was still a little nerve-wracking.

As John put the final dish away, Rose internally scolded the both of them. Just because they had decided to allow the relationship to move forward didn't mean they had to force it. If it happened, they could deal with the changes as they came. If it was still a few days before activities heated up to the degree of the night before, that was fine, too.

John was fidgeting with the towel nervously, the cloth twisting and sliding through his fingers. Rose put a hand on his shoulder and he nearly jumped since his thoughts had been so far away. "John? We don't have to do anything if you don't want to. This is a big step for both of us, and I want us both to be ready so we can enjoy it. It isn't just about me and I don't want to force it. If it happens, fine. If it doesn't happen for a few days, fine. I want us both to be comfortable."

John managed a small, relieved smile and grabbed Rose into a hug. "I want to, Rose. So much. But, it's like you said, I don't want it to be forced."

Rose went for cheeky to lighten the mood when he pulled back. "I have to admit, I am curious about what you were mentioning we could do."

John blushed so brightly Rose yanked the towel from his hands and used it to fan him. He coughed a bit and muttered, "When you're friends with Jack, you hear a lot of stories."

Rose laughed. "Why does that not surprise me? He seems like he'd be a bit of a ladies' man."

"He truly is a good person and he'd do anything to help someone. But Jack, as he himself has told you, is not good at romantic relationships. He's very charming and suave, but he wants all ladies to feel special, which leads to jealousy and the end of whatever relationship he was in." He took Rose's hand and led her to the smaller couch in her living room. "For now, could we just sit here? Maybe read something? What I want most in the world right now, is just to hold you."

Rose felt warmth and happiness flood through her chest. "I'd like that, too," she said to John with a shy smile. She made her way over to the bookcase. "What would you like to read? Any favorite authors?"

John came up to stand behind her. He just couldn't stand the thought of not touching her tonight. He wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder, lightly swaying them from side to side as he perused the bookshelves. "I'm a big fan of Shakespeare and Dickens."

Rose pointed to a shelf a little higher up. "We have a lot of Dickens' works."

"Brilliant!" John unwrapped his arms from Rose's waist so he could stand straight to read the titles, but contented himself with rubbing his hands up and down her arms. "Do you have a favorite Dickens' book?"

Rose turned to him with a shocked look on her face. "That's like asking a mother to pick her favorite child!"

Unable to resist, John dropped a chuckling kiss to her cheek. "Okay, we'll pick this way." He put one hand over his eyes and ran the other along the shelf, back and forth and then stopped suddenly. "This one!" He uncovered his eyes and whooped. " _Great Expectations_!"

Rose giggled. "I love you, you silly man."

As they got back to the couch, John sat and pulled Rose's wrist so that she was sitting partially on his lap and partially in the tiny space between him and the arm rest. He lifted her legs and swung them around so they were tossed across his and then put an arm around her waist, snuggling her close. "This alright?"

Rose took a second to blink in surprise at the sudden movements. Once she processed where she was, she tucked her head into the crook of his neck and shoulder and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Perfect."

* * *

Rose walked closer to John the closer they got to the church. She kept the memory of being snuggled, safe and content in John's arms the previous evening as a sort of armor. Something she could think about when they were in public and he couldn't hold her properly. She really could use his strength today and was relieved he was adamant about staying with her the whole day.

"Good morning, Miss Tyler. Mr. Tyler." The vicar greeted them. "Are you holding up alright, my dear?"

Rose nodded, half of a trembling smile on her lips.

The vicar nodded and led them into the church. "We'll keep this as easy for you as possible. The only part traditionally expected of you is going to be greeting people as they enter. Or if you prefer, we can have a few church employees greet."

Rose drew in a breath. "I think I can handle greeting everyone."

"After that, you can just have a seat and listen to the rest of the service. At the conclusion, we'll head to the grave site outside and put your mother to rest. We understand this is a terrible time and we'll do what we can to make it easier for you, Miss Tyler."

Tears were starting to gather in Rose's eyes, but she furiously blinked them back. "Thank you."

* * *

John was amazed at Rose's strength as they entered her house after the service. She had cried a few times, but it was quiet and short-lived due to her reluctance to show weakness.

After helping Rose out of her coat and removing his own, he pulled her into his arms and she let go. As heaving sobs left her body, he stooped to lift her in a bridal carry and sat on the couch, pulling her into his lap the way they had been situated the day before. "Shh, love. I know. I've got you."

Rose continued to cry into her hands, letting it out as John soothingly rubbed her back and murmured comforts into her ear. "I know how you feel."

Rose's sobs slowed and she looked up at him. John didn't mention his family, gently brushing questions away or changing the subject. "What do you mean?"

John brushed his thumb back and forth over the portion of her skirt covering her knee. He stared at his moving hand as he spoke. "I moved to Farringham after I lost my family. I lived in a very small village called Gallifrey, far away from here. I lived at the school as a teacher, same as it is here. One night, I got word that there was an emergency."

Rose cuddled into his side, squeezing his waist in comfort as his words turned into whispers. Despite having just attended her mother's funeral, she was offering comfort as he talked about his family, and John just fell further in love with her. He hugged her closer for a second, dropped a kiss to her hair, and drew in a ragged breath before continuing.

"By the time I got there, most of the house was already destroyed by the fire. I lost my father, mother, and brother all in one go."

Rose's sobs started again, this time a combination for her and John. "I'm so sorry, John."

"I stayed for a few more years, but when they started building a new home where my family's had been, I just couldn't do it anymore. And then, there's Jack. He and I have been friends for years. He had just broken off a relationship with a young woman and her family was threatening him, so he came to Farringham with me. A brand new start for both of us."

John wrapped his arms firmly around Rose and pulled her closer. "They say things happen for a reason. And even though it hurt and seemed terribly unfair to lose everyone, it set me on the path that led to you. I can't imagine being any happier than I am when I have you with me."

His words just made Rose cry harder and he started to panic. "What did I do?"

Rose began to giggle and cry at the same time. "I'm still sad for you and for me. And then hearing you're happy with me made me happy cry. Blimey, I don't know what to feel right now."

John placed a kiss to her forehead. "Do you want me to make us some lunch?"

"Can I trust you to not juggle the ingredients?"

John looked at her in mock-affront, pleased that he had elicited a smile from her, small though it was. "Rose Tyler! I can make a meal without juggling ingredients."

Rose placed a kiss to his cheek. "Alright, then. You've impressed me with your breakfast skills. Let's see how your lunch stacks up."

* * *

Rose had returned to John's lap after a simple, but satisfying lunch. The rest of the day had been spent either continuing to read _Great Expectations_ or just sitting in silence while they each processed their thoughts.

As John got ready to leave – after getting multiple reassurances from Rose that she would be alright – he cupped Rose's cheek and kissed her slowly and softly. "I want to take you somewhere tomorrow."

Rose moved in to place another kiss to his lips, suckling lightly on the pouty bottom one that led her to distraction. "Where?"

John waggled his eyebrows, prompting a giggle from the woman in front of him. "It's a surprise."

"Alright. I'll go to this mystery place you've picked out."

"Goodnight, Rose. I love you."

"Goodnight, John. I love you, too." Rose pulled him in for one more kiss and then sighed as she closed the door and made her way to her room. Today had been less agonizing than she imagined it would have been, and that was due in large part to John's presence. He had a knack for making her feel better and she couldn't wait to see where he planned to take her.


	11. Chapter 11

You guys make my days with your nice words. Thank you so much for the feedback!

I didn't care for Rocastle in the episodes, so I wanted to make him a little softer here. And this chapter contains my favorite 'nice Rocastle' scene. Also, remember what I said a few chapters back, I Googled the heck out of everything trying to avoid anachronistic items. Fairy lights _were_ available in 1913.

* * *

Chapter 11

* * *

John patted his pocket holding the tickets as he strolled toward Rose's house. Jack's flirtatious ways often annoyed him. But today he was thankful for the man's ability to charm anyone he crossed paths with and the odd fact that he seemed to be able to procure just about anything you could possibly want. After starting to read Charles Dickens' works with Rose, he had practically begged Jack to do him this favor and his friend had come through.

With a smile, he tapped a lively rhythm on Rose's door and his smile widened as he took her in. Her hair was perfectly styled into an elegant chignon and the little bit of shine to her lips told him she had made an extra effort today, but she was still – adorably – in her bathrobe and completely flustered.

She yanked him into the house and then twisted her hands anxiously. "What am I supposed to wear, John?! Am I making us late?!"

With a chuckle, John caught her hands and laid a gentle kiss to the back of each one. "Calm down, love. First of all, good morning." He pulled her in for a sweet kiss and didn't release her until he felt her relax into his hold. "B, we are not going to be late. And number four, wear what you would for a nice evening out on the town."

Rose giggled. "First, B, and number four?"

John just grinned and shoved his hands into his pockets. "Got a giggle from you, didn't it?"

"That was not your intention and you know it, John Tyler!"

"Are you sure about that?"

With the way he was grinning, Rose _wasn't_ sure so she just rolled her eyes and grinned playfully back at him. "Give me a minute to get dressed. An evening in town, you say?"

John nodded and Rose squinted slightly in thought as she turned back to her room.

* * *

John was staring out the window at the now bare trees when he heard Rose's door open. He turned to look at her and his breath was stolen from his lungs.

She had on a dark pink satin dress that brushed the floor and had a square, court collar. Over the dress, was a layer of a very pale yellow, sheer, gauzy material that was bunched at the shoulders and gathered at the waist, before flowing down to knee length in front and ankle length in back. The sleeves were full-length, pink satin and the sheer yellow overlay cinched at the wrist to give the cuff a tiny ruffle. "Is this alright?"

John raked his eyes over her figure, took in the uncertain way she was biting her bottom lip and the slight flush to her cheeks and strode to her quickly. He swept his thumb along her cheekbone and settled the rest of his fingers along her neck, mindful of her hairstyle. Unable to resist, he captured her lips in his, allowing his tongue to meet hers in the kind of kiss that usually resulted in a loss of inhibitions. He managed to keep it under control and pulled back to rest his forehead against hers. "You are breathtaking, Rose Tyler." He tugged lightly on one of her sleeves. "All pink and yellow."

She gave a breathless huff of laughter. "You look pretty incredible, too." Rose tipped her head to press one more quick kiss to his lips before pulling away entirely and exhaling a breath. "So, where are we going?" She busied herself with straightening his already straight tie, needing to do something with her hands.

"That is a surprise, Miss Tyler." He held her coat for her and lovingly bundled her up. "Winter has started its arrival in earnest now. You'll want your gloves and possibly a scarf."

Rose stepped outside once he had his coat on and shivered slightly as a gust of wind blew icy air across her face. "You weren't joking. It's freezing out here."

John offered his arm and began to lead her down the road. "It's only the thirtieth of November. I think we're in for a brutal winter. But, at least we don't have far to walk today."

A carriage came into view and Rose glanced up at a smiling John. She didn't say anything, but sure enough, the driver opened the door when they arrived. "So, are we going into London?"

John slid in next to her and shook out the thick blanket that was folded on the bench across from them. After arranging it across their legs and tugging Rose more firmly against his side, he answered her. "Yes. And that is all you will get out of me, love."

* * *

The sights of London were slightly less magical in the light of day. They were easier to see, but the warm glow of the street lights was missing and that was part of the romance for Rose. Still, she was immeasurably grateful for whatever John had planned for them to do.

The carriage pulled up in front of a tiny restaurant and Rose grinned brightly at John as he helped her down, ready to start this new adventure. He offered his arm and began to lead her to the doorway of the restaurant. "How do you feel about Italian fare for a late lunch or very early dinner?"

"Fine by me."

Once they were seated, Rose glanced around the cheery interior. "This is colorful. It just feels happy in here."

John looked around and hummed in agreement. "This time it was Jack's recommendation. I told you I would listen to Headmaster Rocastle if I had to, and that's true. But if it can be avoided…," he trailed off and Rose smiled with her tongue tucked into her teeth.

At that moment, their waitress waltzed up. Her gaze landed on John with far too much interest for Rose's taste and then she pursed her lips as she gave Rose an unimpressed look. She leaned closer to John and practically purred at him. "What can I get for you, sir?"

John – who was not oblivious this time – frowned as he saw her disregard for Rose. He barely glanced at the woman as he gave his order and then smiled charmingly at Rose. "And what would you like, my beautiful love?"

Rose was caught a bit off-guard and just quickly picked the first thing her eyes landed on. After the waitress gave a huff and left, John took in the slight flush to Rose's cheeks and the angry tears gathering in her eyes. "Love, don't let people like that get to you."

She gave a disbelieving laugh as she blinked the tears back. "Sorry, I guess I'm still a little emotional from yesterday." John gently began to trace patterns on her palm and she sighed. "I need to get used to that, I suppose."

"Used to what?"

"Women flirting with you and pretending I don't exist." Rose gave a flap of her free hand in his direction. "I mean you're absolutely beautiful and charming. Women are going to fall all over themselves for your attention."

John smiled slightly as he placed a kiss to Rose's palm and then continued his pattern. "I want you to listen to me very carefully. I. Love. You. Just you, Rose. I don't say those words lightly. I know with how quickly our relationship developed, it may seem that way. But I can honestly tell you, I've never said 'I love you' to anyone else before. Women can flirt all they want, but they don't have my attention or my regard. Just you."

Rose blew out a breath and with it, all the tension the waitress had caused. When the woman waltzed back in with their food, Rose almost choked on the sip of water she had just taken. The top buttons on her shirt were undone and she leaned forward toward John. "Can I get you anything else, sir? Anything at all?"

John didn't look away from Rose as he continued to stroke her palm, an adoring smile on his face. "No, thank you."

Alone again, Rose burst into giggles and John followed suit. "Oh my goodness," she whispered with her hands clasped in front of her mouth. "Did you see her shirt? And her face when you didn't even look at her?"

John chuckled. "Told you. Not interested." On the other hand, Rose's completely adorable reaction to the waitress' stunt, he absolutely wouldn't mind seeing again.

Rose lowered her voice, mimicking the other woman. "But she could have gotten you anything, sir. Anything at all."

John's heart stuttered and then started again at a faster pace. "Only if you're the one offering. And please don't use that voice in public again. I'll have to beat the men off of you with a stick, love."

Rose giggled. "It goes both ways, John. Only for you."

* * *

Rose and John were leaning against each other for support through their laughter as they emerged from the restaurant. "Oh my," Rose gasped. "I don't know how much further she was willing to go to get your attention, but she seemed pretty determined."

John couldn't resist and nuzzled Rose's temple. "Whatever she was attempting was worth it, since watching you trying not to laugh was thoroughly entertaining for me. Plus, you're beautiful when you laugh."

Rose smiled bashfully at him. "Anymore plans for us?"

He took her next door to a small building that didn't have any signage out front. "It isn't much, but a local amateur theater group is performing _The Frozen Deep_. It's a play by Wilkie Collins, but most people accredit it to Charles Dickens."

Rose frowned up at him. "Why Charles Dickens?"

"He was so involved in editing and revising the play, not to mention his involvement with staging and scenery, _and_ his role as the lead character that people forget poor Mr. Collins is actually the author."

Rose brightened considerably. "So we're going to see a play?"

"We're going to see a play."

* * *

Rose sighed as they exited the small theater. "That was very good. I can't believe they were all amateurs."

John nodded and then shyly started to play with the fingers of her hand resting in the crook of his elbow. "I would have liked to take you to a grand production at one of the more prestigious theaters. But this was a sort of last minute idea, and since we've been reading Dickens…," he trailed off and Rose's brow furrowed at the uncertainty in his voice.

"John?" He finally glanced up at her and Rose decided that she didn't care what other people thought about her displaying affection publicly, and placed a quick kiss on his lips. "I loved that. Didn't you?"

John smiled at her. "Yeah, I did."

"Good." She cuddled into his side and they began to walk again.

Suddenly, John stopped and seemed to be thinking about something before turning and leading her across the street. "I have one more thing I would like to do."

Rose followed him to a small park situated near an upscale restaurant. Fairy lights had been strung through the trees and soft music could be heard wafting from the restaurant. John led Rose underneath one of the trees and shook his head. "It's probably a bit more romantic when the tree actually has leaves on it."

Rose glanced up and smiled softly. "I don't know. I think it's pretty romantic as is."

John bowed and held out his hand. "May I have this dance?"

Rose placed her hand in his and then giggled as he twirled her before bringing her into his arms. "I'm glad you found a way for us to dance tonight. I really enjoyed that on our first date here in London."

"Me too," John sighed as Rose tucked her head under his chin. They swayed gently from side to side in content silence, just savoring the closeness and the gentle sounds of the music.

One song turned into two, and as two turned into three, Rose pulled back. Their gazes connected and held for a charged moment until Rose tipped her head up at the same time as John dipped his down. They continued to sway to the music, trading kisses that grew in intensity and started to linger for longer periods of time.

John pulled away first, feeling a tingling that warned he would have an embarrassing situation if he didn't end things soon. "It's getting late and we both have work tomorrow. We should probably head home," he told her reluctantly.

Rose gave a little whine of disappointment that sounded more like a spoiled child than a mature young woman. She burrowed closer into John's chest. "I don't want to go yet."

John dropped a kiss to the top of her head. "What if I…," he floundered for a second as he tried to think of a suitable temptation, "…cooked dinner for you tomorrow?"

Rose gave him a look of playful outrage. "Are you trying to buy my compliance, John?"

John tried to school his expression into a serious one, but his lips twitched. "Hmm. I might be trying to bribe you."

Rose shot him an amused look. "Same thing." Stepping away from John alerted her to the fact that she couldn't feel the side of her face that wasn't pressed to John's shoulder and she acquiesced to their departure. "For the sake of the frozen and numb side of my face, I will agree to your request, Mr. Tyler."

John placed a few teasing kisses to warm her cold cheek, smiling the entire time. "I think that's a wise decision, Miss Tyler."

He led her to the carriage – thankfully avoiding any crimes this time – and cuddled her close as they began the journey back to Farringham.

* * *

Rose tried to focus on the books that needed re-shelving, but her mind was latched onto the carriage ride home with John last night. Between that memory and the books, the memory was more enticing.

 _Their discussions always jumped from one topic to another. Sometimes she could follow the natural progression. Other times, she was just as confused about how they got from point A to point B as any outside observer would be. It didn't matter, though. She could keep up with John's sometimes disjointed thoughts just as well as he could follow hers. When the conversation turned to Euthyphro and other works by Socrates, Rose was completely blind-sided. She had read plenty of Socrates' essays and such. Five years as a librarian tends to expand one's tastes in literature. But she had never expected a discussion about his works to come with a seduction by John Tyler._

 _It had started out innocently enough. Rose was cuddled up to his side, both of them trying to ward off the frigid air of late November by burrowing under the thick blanket John had brought with them. Sweet caresses and adoring looks had turned to chaste kisses. The pair of them always had a hard time keeping their innocent kisses from turning heated and last night had been no exception. When she pulled away to catch her breath, his lips traveled to her neck. She was supremely thankful her work dresses had very high collars as John nipped and sucked and licked at one spot, undoubtedly marking her. Rose tugged on his hair to bring him back up to her for a kiss. She thought all conversation was over as her tongue met his in a languid exchange. But John Tyler is full of surprises and words continued to tumble from his mouth between his attentions to her._

 _As his lips and tongue and words teased her lips, her face and her neck, for the first time she could honestly say she was not keeping up with the conversation. She could also say she honestly didn't care._

 _Piety, he said something about piety. She mumbled something in return, though she couldn't say for sure what it was. Whatever she said, it caused John to chuckle darkly into her neck. He was still muttering about Socrates as he trailed kisses from her neck and down her chest to the top of her dress._

 _Normally, Rose was too shy to make her own advances. But after enjoying a few more kisses from John, she was so delirious with arousal that her shyness was forgotten. When he pulled back, she ducked her head before he could move again and began to lavish attention on his neck. There was a surprised gasp from above her and Rose smirked as she got her first taste of John's skin. The nonsense he had been babbling about Socrates and whatever else was choked off on a moan._

 _He clutched at Rose and tried to resist the temptation to shift her so he could press his erection into her. "I want to make love to you, Rose. I know you want to wait until you're married and I agree. I want…oh…I want to wait, too. But I have to be honest and say I really want to make love to you."_

" _M-me, too," Rose managed to gasp._

 _She was suddenly hauled up by John who stared at her with the darkest eyes Rose had ever seen. Coupled with his flushed cheeks and riotous hair, Rose was certain no one and nothing could be sexier. "I love you," John breathed out._

 _Rose had to take a second to collect her thoughts so she could process his words. "I love you, too."_

 _With Farringham just moments away, they had contented themselves with innocent hugs and small kisses to calm down after their passion-filled session._

Rose blinked and fanned herself as she came out of her memories of the night before. Luckily, she was in a position where no one could see her bright red face or heaving chest as she raised a hand to rest against the mark from John hiding under the high-collared work dress. She pushed all thoughts of John and the carriage to the back of her mind, determined to get her work done.

* * *

John was standing in his classroom, watching over his students as they took a test. At least, they were supposed to be taking a test. For all the attention John was paying, they could have already cheated their way through and left the classroom and he would be too preoccupied to notice.

Thoughts were tumbling through his clever brain at a terrifying speed, all coming to the same nerve-wracking conclusion. Half of his brain was saying, 'it's too soon', and that was true for most people. He had known Rose for one month. How do you know someone well enough to make this big of a decision in just one month?

'But that one glorious month has been the absolute best month of your life', the other half of his brain pointed out. In that one month, he and Rose had been through a lot together. So much had happened, that it seemed impossible to John that only a month had passed. As he had told Jack before, sometimes you just know. John could admit to himself, that he knew. He needed to propose to Rose Tyler.

Part of him worried that Rose would think he was only asking because their relationship was heating up to an insane degree, and she wanted to be married before moving further physically. But he had been picturing this for almost as long as he had known her. Afternoons watching her cook had been spent wishing it was their home and he was watching his wife care for him. Evenings had been spent wishing once he was done grading papers and they had spent some time together, that instead of trudging back to his room at the school, he could just slip into bed with the marvelous woman next to him. He wanted to marry Rose.

"Sir?"

John blinked out of his stupor to see Timothy Latimer standing in front of him, looking concerned. "Yes, Mr. Latimer?"

"I'm turning in my exam paper, sir. You didn't answer the first few times I said anything. Are you alright?"

John managed a smile for him. "Yes, thank you. Just a little preoccupied. You help Miss Tyler after this class, correct?"

"Yes, sir."

"Since this is all we have for today, why don't you go ahead and start helping her now?"

Tim smiled. Even though neither one of them had said anything, it didn't take a genius to see that his two favorite adults at this school had fallen in love. "Yes, sir."

* * *

Tim was worried as he started the walk to the library. He knew Mr. Tyler's secrets, knew them even when Mr. Tyler didn't. That fob watch had told Tim everything and unless he was losing his mind, that meant one day Mr. Tyler would no longer be here.

He worried for Miss Tyler. She was one of the kindest people Tim had ever had the good fortune to meet, and he didn't want to see her get her heart broken. But the watch had been insistent – in a voice different from the one that told him stories – that he could not interfere and all would be as it should. He trusted that voice. He had no reason to trust it and didn't know why he did, but that voice held a calm air of ancient knowledge and great insight that was hard to ignore.

* * *

Rose looked at Tim in surprise as he appeared in the library twenty minutes before his usual time. "You're early, Mr. Latimer."

"There was an examination in Mr. Tyler's class today. He said I could come help you early since I was finished."

Rose breathed a sigh of relief. "Actually, that's going to be very helpful. I haven't been able to concentrate much today, I'm afraid. The work is just piling up."

Tim looked at the few small piles of books as he set his things down. "Do you want me to log these or are they ready to be shelved?"

"These two piles just need to be put away. This last stack here still needs to be logged."

Tim got to work on logging the last pile and Rose admired the changes that had occurred in him. He was still a target for bullies, but with her and John keeping an extra eye out for him, he seemed to be a happier young man than the one she had asked to help her just a short while ago. It made her feel like she had done some good in the world, so she set off to put books away with an extra spring in her step.

* * *

"Why are you asking me?!" Headmaster Rocastle looked at his furiously blushing history teacher, sure his own face matched the bright hue.

John looked at his boss and rubbed a hand along the back of his neck. "Well, Rose's father was gone before I even met her. Now that Mrs. Tyler is gone as well, I just…," he trailed off and tried again. "Rose mentioned that you and her father were friends. It made sense to me to ask you."

Headmaster Rocastle's wide-eyes swept around his office, as if expecting a response to jump out at him. The normal response of 'you haven't known each other long enough' was tempting, but Pete and Jackie had known each other for about that long before they were engaged. The only thing keeping them from marrying so quickly was Jackie's wish for a spring wedding.

In all honesty, he had never seen Rose so happy. Even as she worked through her mother's death, the times he had seen her with John, she practically glowed with love and happiness. He thought back to the charged moment when they met in his office, both of them spell-bound as they looked at each other. Some things, it seemed, were just predestined.

He sighed as he looked at John Tyler. A respectable job as a teacher, a decent wage, an upstanding young man of strong ethical character, and he could see plainly that he adored and cherished Rose. "You have my blessing, trivial though it may be."

The beaming smile John shot him caused an answering one from Rocastle. It was hard to stay stern in the face of such unrestrained joy. "Good luck, Mr. Tyler."

* * *

Rose smiled – a reaction she couldn't control – when she saw John heading for the library, Jack beside him. "Hello, love," John greeted her.

"Hello," she replied, linking her arm with his as they started toward the front door of the school. "Hello to you too, Jack."

Jack bowed with a smile. "Milady."

As they exited the doors and crossed the grounds, John smiled apologetically at her. "I'm sorry, love, but Jack will have to see you home today. And I don't think I'll see you until tomorrow. I know I said I'd cook dinner for you today, and I will cook for you. It will just have to be another day."

Rose pouted adorably, but he just rolled his eyes with a grin. "I have something to take care of in London and I don't know how long I'll be."

Rose sighed. She was disappointed he wouldn't be with her for the evening, but she didn't want to make him feel guilty about it. "Fine," she relented teasingly. "I suppose I can survive one evening without you."

"Just don't get used to it," John grumbled, but the quirk of his lips betrayed his good humor.

They passed the gate of the school grounds and Rose noticed the car waiting close by. John pulled her close to hug her, not caring that Jack was nearby. He pulled back and kissed her sweetly. "I'll see you tomorrow, love. Have a good night."

"I will." Rose pulled him closer by the hands she held. "Be careful. I love you."

"I love you, too." He knew they said the words more often probably than most couples, but with so much warmth and happiness spreading through him when he said them, he couldn't help himself. He pressed his forehead to hers for a second and then pulled away to head for the car, waving again before he slid into the back seat.

Jack shoved his hands in his pockets. With Rose looking so sad that John was leaving, it was his natural instinct to throw an arm over her shoulders, but that would not be a welcome gesture in 1913. "Don't worry, Rosie. He'll be back before you know it."

Rose startled as she turned to Jack, having forgotten he was there. "Yeah, I know. I've just gotten used to having him around." She sighed and looped her arm through the one Jack offered. "Tell me how you've been lately. We haven't really spoken in a while. I was too distracted to make conversation the last time you walked me home."

* * *

John took a deep breath to steel his nerves as he looked at the window of the jewelry shop. Thoughts of rings and marriages made his heart seize up for some reason. But when he thought of those things and added Rose to the mix, they filled him with warmth instead of dread.

He pushed open the door and with the tinkling of the bell overhead, an older gentleman emerged from the back of the shop. "Good afternoon, sir. What can I help you with today?"

"I…um…need to look at engagement rings." John ran his eyes over the display cases, everything shining and sparkling so brightly it was hard to make out what he was looking at from a distance.

The older gentleman smiled at the overwhelmed man looking around the shop. "If you'll step over to this counter, I have a lovely assortment to choose from."


	12. Chapter 12

I'm so sorry for the delay! This should have been up last night, but after work I just passed out on the couch. I don't even remember getting to bed, but I woke up there, so…

And again, many thanks to you all! I was alternating between giddy smiling and cackling while rubbing my hands together as I read your comments.

In the episodes, the dance was when everything fell apart for John. However, remember that my story is _loosely_ based on that arc. We're only about halfway through.

* * *

Chapter 12

* * *

As John graded papers on Tuesday, it seemed Saturday couldn't get there quick enough. He only had four days until his planned proposal time, but it seemed like forever to the smitten man. "If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?"

Rose looked over at John, taken aback by the random question. As the wind howled outside, Rose turned to the window. Grey and dreary and cold looked back in at her and she had her answer. "Barcelona. It may not be too much warmer than here at the moment, but it's at least a bit warmer. Plus, all the colors! I've seen illustrations in books and they may not be accurate, but all of them show Barcelona with vibrant colors. Not the drab greys and browns of our little village in winter."

John nodded as Rose checked the roast he had in the oven. He had put it all together, since it was his promise to cook her dinner. But honestly, without Rose there to make sure someone kept an eye on it, he would have forgotten it and burned the darn thing. "Not done yet?"

Rose shook her head. "Shouldn't be too much longer."

John pretended to go back to grading his papers as Rose went to dust in the living room. He watched her move things and polish tables and bookcases and suddenly felt like he'd burst if he didn't have Rose in his arms.

He walked up behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist, and then turned slightly so he was sitting in one of the chairs, Rose perched halfway on his lap and halfway in between his leg and the arm of the chair. He pulled her close and sighed in contentment.

Rose giggled and wrapped her arms around him. "Not that I'm complaining, but what brought this on?"

"You're just amazing, you know that? Absolutely incredible."

Rose nestled her head in the crook of John's neck and smiled happily when he rested his cheek on her head. "I have to say I agree with that assessment." She squealed when he teasingly poked her in the side. "How am I amazing, then?"

John soothingly ran the backs of his fingers over her cheek as he spoke. "You get up every morning and go to work. You take care of the library and keep it in tip-top shape. You come home and cook for us. You keep the house spotless. You still have time to help me grade papers. You protect Timothy Latimer when you can. You have a smile for everyone who is fortunate enough to cross your path. I'm just in awe of how you get everything done."

"It's just that special ability all women have, I guess."

John shook his head. "I don't think any other woman would do all that with the grace you have doing it."

Rose placed a small kiss of appreciation to his jaw before closing her eyes just for a second.

* * *

Rose opened her eyes and looked at the clock that she could see from her perch. She realized the second she meant to close her eyes for had turned into twenty minutes. There were still another ten minutes before she needed to check on the roast so she snuggled closer into John.

She could tell by his deep, even breathing that he was asleep. Every few seconds he would tighten his grip slightly as if checking to make sure she was still there and then sigh happily. Rose felt tears prick her eyes, overwhelmed with how much she loved John. If someone asked her one year ago what qualities she wanted in her dream man, she would have named every quality that John Tyler possessed.

Rose watched the minutes until she needed to move ticking away, wishing time would freeze just for a while so she could remain cuddled in John's lap, feeling safe and warm and oh so loved. She frowned at the clock when it disobeyed her wishes and it was time to check on dinner. "John, love. Wake up."

John drifted slowly toward wakefulness. The gentle kisses being pressed to his chin and jaw, coupled with the sweet voice whispering for him to wake up, were the best sort of alarm clock. He wished this was how he could wake up every morning. Finally, he was awake enough to realize where he was and that the Rose calling to him in his half-awake state had been the real deal.

Rose felt affection flood her all over again as John blinked sleepily down at her and then smiled softly before catching her lips in a kiss. "I have to get up and check on dinner," she murmured quietly.

"But Roooose," John whined, "I'm comfortable." He tightened his grip on her, both to prove his point and keep her there.

"If I don't get up, you'll have to deal with a blackened, dry lump of meat for dinner instead of a nice, juicy roast." She leveled a look at him and after seeming to debate with himself, he finally loosened his hold.

"Oh, alright. I should finish grading those papers anyway."

As he finished up the last paper, Rose set a plate down in front of him and brushed his fringe off his forehead to place a kiss there. Saturday could not get here fast enough.

* * *

Headmaster Rocastle let out a sigh as he saw a nervous-looking John Tyler headed for his office. He certainly understood being on edge when planning a proposal to the love of your life, but acting as Rose's family made him appreciate having only sons a bit more.

"Headmaster Rocastle?" John knocked lightly on the open door to accompany his call.

The man marked his place in his book and motioned for John to enter. "Close the door behind you."

"I was wondering if I could speak with you about something, sir." John rubbed his clammy palms along his teaching robes.

"Go on. What is it?"

"As you know, I plan to propose to Rose at the village dance. Quite honestly, sir, I'd very much like to marry her as soon as possible. If Rose agrees, I was thinking of suggesting running away to Barcelona to get married immediately after the dance. Would you be willing to let us have some time off for that?"

It wasn't quite as spontaneous as he had hoped since he was planning it. But it wouldn't do to make Rose his wife and then have no way to support her since he had abandoned his position at the school.

The headmaster sighed. "I can see Rose agreeing to that. She's always been very impulsive." There was an indulgent smile as he remembered a younger, fiery Rose acting before thinking of the consequences. "How long are you planning to be gone?"

This is the part John was most worried about. "Maybe a month?"

Rocastle pinched the bridge of his nose to ward off the headache. "A month," he whispered to himself. Rose had certainly earned that sort of vacation, but Mr. Tyler had only been there for a month total, and now he wanted that long off? He looked at his calendar and his mood brightened. "Actually, it's only two weeks until the school shuts down for the Christmas holiday. Did you plan to return at the end of that?"

John blinked. He'd forgotten about the holiday. "Oh. Yes, that works out better, I suppose."

The headmaster nodded. "What about Rose? Does she plan to return once married?"

"I don't know. We've never discussed it."

"Surely you'll want children. Rose will need to be home for that."

John's heart beat a little faster. The thought of a little tiny Rose look-a-like running around filled him with longing. "We have said that we both wish to have children. But there's still plenty of time. I suppose we'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

Headmaster Rocastle heaved a massive sigh. "Very well. You should return to your classes, Mr. Tyler. Please try to keep me posted." As John left his office, he found himself praying there would be no more staff romances until he retired. It was exhausting work.

* * *

Rose sighed as she looked at the periwinkle dress hanging in her closet on Saturday morning. Months ago, she and her mother had seen the dress in one of the shop windows and, just for fun, she had tried it on. It was supposed to be a lark, but her mother had sucked in a breath and her eyes had widened when Rose stepped out of the changing room with the dress on. While she changed back into her regular clothes, her mother must have been paying for the dress because a garment bag containing the dress had been thrust into her hands as they left the shop. She had no idea how her mother afforded such a stunning dress, but she was thankful as she ran a finger along the silky material. She was full of anxious anticipation, wondering how John would react to her in the fine outfit.

John was becoming a bit of a mystery. He was still just as wonderful as ever, if not more so. But he was practically vibrating with energy lately. It only seemed to increase when the dance was mentioned, so Rose figured he was just nervous about the dance. That didn't make sense, though. They were completely comfortable with each other. They had danced before. So, what did he have to be nervous about? Rose's nerves only stemmed from the dress that far outclassed any other clothes she owned.

He had also become more affectionate. They were already touching almost constantly and Rose likened the passion simmering below the surface to magma, ready to blow at the slightest provocation. But the touches had become almost reverent for the past couple of days. He was always tugging her into his lap and pulling her close, worshipful touches ghosting along her arms as he pressed lingering kisses to her face, whispering about how much he adored her and loved her. She certainly wasn't complaining, but she did wonder why these changes were occurring.

She let out a deep sigh and decided the mystery would resolve itself in time. For now, she needed to bathe so she could get ready for the dance.

* * *

Rose couldn't believe she was looking at herself as she stared into her full-length mirror. The woman gazing back was mature, sophisticated, refined and glamorous. She suddenly felt a bit silly, like a child playing dress up in her mother's finest clothes. The remembered awe on her mother's face, the soft exclamation of 'oh, Rose' as she emerged from that changing room, settled her racing pulse. Maybe she could pull this off, after all.

Her hair had been gathered and twisted into a sleek chignon and a pearl headband rested in her hair. There was a white, opaque gauze on the dress that covered her chest and upper arms, with a blue panel under the sheer material at her chest. Periwinkle silk flowed over her shoulders and gathered at her waist. Pearls lined the perimeter of the top half, leading to a cluster of them in the center of her waist. From the waist down, the material almost hugged her figure, but there was an overskirt of the same color and fabric, with pearls along the edges. She would be chilly in the December air, but she was more worried about people thinking she was trying to be something she wasn't. She had been extra careful in the application of a small amount of mascara and a layer of gloss had been lightly applied to her mouth.

She took a deep breath to steady herself and went to sit and wait for John in the living room.

* * *

John turned the ring box over and over in his hands. Finally! He could finally propose to Rose. His stomach churned and his palms were sweating, but he was ecstatic to be able to ask her to be his wife. Logically, he knew there was a chance she could refuse. One month was a very short time when it came to love. But it had always felt so right with Rose that he had almost no doubt she would say yes. Those evenings he had wished could be more permanent, may very well be that way soon. Instead of a kiss goodnight and a long, cold walk back to the school, he could just walk into a bedroom they shared and curl up next to her.

With renewed vigor, he pulled on his suit coat, checked his hair, and bundled up for the walk to Rose's house. He really hoped tonight would be the night Rose became his fiancée.

* * *

John rapped at Rose's door and tried to take deep breaths to slow his heart rate back to normal. He was a bundle of nervous energy and excitement and if he didn't get it under control, Rose would know something was going on.

The door opened slowly and all of John's breath left his lungs and he was certain his heart skipped a few beats. Rose was perfection in the gown she was wearing. His eyes swept over her figure and when her hands started to twist together, he grabbed them to brush a kiss to both. "You are…unbelievably beautiful. That's not enough to cover how exquisite you look, but there just aren't words, Rose."

She ducked her head shyly and then glanced up at him through her lashes. When she noticed the darker than normal suit and the bowtie, she lifted her head and did her own perusal of him. "John," she breathed out. "You look so handsome."

The quiet admiration in her voice caused a slight flush to appear on John's cheeks. "Then, would you care to accompany me to the village dance and make everyone jealous?" He waggled his eyebrows playfully with a huge grin and Rose felt her tension drain out with her laughter.

"Lead the way, John Tyler. Though I'm not sure I'm okay with all the ladies ogling you." Her tongue touched her teeth as she grinned.

John's gaze zeroed in on her tongue and it took him a few seconds too long to form a response, prompting a giggle from Rose. "I only have eyes for you, Rose. And what about all the men who will be falling at your feet for just one dance?"

Rose sighed dramatically. "Alas, my dance card is already full."

"Is it?"

Rose hummed an affirmative at him. "Some bloke named John Tyler managed to get his name down for every dance. Wonder how he accomplished that."

John smirked at her, enjoying the easy banter. "Lucky bloke." The comfort and effortless interaction just reinforced what John already knew. Rose was it for him.

* * *

As they entered the building where the dance was being held, their eyes were immediately drawn to a laughing crowd and Rose's eyes glittered with amusement. "Jack seems to have already made some friends."

John rolled his eyes as he took her coat to hang on the rack. "That's Jack for you. Makes friends everywhere he goes."

John dared to wrap an arm around Rose's waist to lead her to one of the tables and she sank into his side with a sigh. Her eyes wandered the room and met the eyes of the Matron. She watched the woman's eyes narrow as she took in their position and Rose could almost see the jealousy suffuse her face. No matter. Rose was done worrying about the Matron. She had done that in the beginning and even after the nurse had said she would stay out of it, she had made an attempt to catch John's attention. Rose and John were in love and the Matron was just going to have to accept that and move on.

After sitting to survey the room for a few minutes, Rose grinned at John. "Ready to say hello to everyone? I have the desire to show off my handsome date!" She winked outrageously and John laughed.

He shrugged. "I'll be your arm candy if you'll be my arm candy."

Rose stuck her hand out for a shake. "Deal."

As they circulated the room, the older women cooed over Rose's beautiful dress and hair. They mentioned how handsome John was and what a lovely couple they were. Some of the single young women Rose's age turned their noses up, jealousy radiating from every pore. But Rose was too happy to be brought down by them. Instead, their attitudes amused her and she would just smile and compliment them on their lovely dresses or hairstyles. 'Kill 'em with kindness', as her mum used to say.

Rose had been joking about making everyone jealous. It surprised her a bit to find out people really _were_ jealous of her and John. "We have something special, Rose. And they can tell. It's natural to be envious of that. Who doesn't want a love that runs that deep?"

She suddenly wanted to drag John out of there so she could snog him in private, but a waltz started up and John led her to the dance floor. Rose decided to just relish being in his arms for the evening. She could share some passionate kisses with him after the dance ended.

* * *

As the night wore on, a few women approached John to request a dance. But he wanted to stay with Rose and politely declined each one. When men started asking Rose to favor them with a dance, John decided he had enough of the festivities. She was turning them all down, but he didn't want to watch other men try to chat up his Rose. "Are you ready to get out of here?"

Rose saw another woman start to approach their table and nodded. "Yes, please."

They donned their coats and stepped out into the biting cold. Even though it was nice and toasty inside, she was relieved to be away from the crowd. She watched John's breath turn to mist as his tension released with a sigh and was glad they were on the same page.

Rose grinned cheekily up at him. "It's fun to show your attractive date off, not so much fun to watch others flirt with said date."

John snorted. "I thought I'd go barmy if I had to watch another man try to charm you into a dance."

In the dark of night and with most of the village at the dance, they didn't bother with the more acceptable linked arms and instead laced their fingers together and Rose hugged John's arm to her chest. "Wouldn't have worked. I'm more than satisfied with the dance partner I arrived with."

When they arrived at Rose's house, John asked Rose for some old blankets.

"We have some in the linen closet next to my room. Bottom shelf," she called out as she grabbed the kettle and some mugs to prepare tea.

Before she could get started, John's arms wrapped around her from behind and gently coaxed her to put the kettle down. "Come with me," he whispered into her ear.

He led her to her back garden and she noticed the bench had a blanket draped over it to protect them from the cold wood and another blanket was ready to be thrown over them. "What's this?"

John wordlessly pulled her to sit next to him and carefully tucked the blanket around her, making sure she was warm enough. They enjoyed the sight of the stars for a few minutes in silence. Rose could tell there was something John wanted to say, so she waited patiently. Finally, he turned to look her in the eye. "I know we haven't really known each other that long. But a short amount of time doesn't mean I don't know you. We've had extensive talks about the trivial, the mundane, the deep and spiritual. Every time we talk, I fall more in love with you. Every touch of your hand makes my heart race and I can't imagine my life without you. I don't want to even try. I love you, Rose."

Despite the prickling in her eyes from his beautiful words, she smiled at the three main ones. They still made her as warm and giddy as they did the first time he said them. "I love you, too, John. And you're right. We haven't known each other that long, but that doesn't make our love any less true than it is for couples who have known each other for years."

John smiled at her. He could feel a muscle near his mouth twitching and a lump building in his throat and he just prayed he could get his words out. "How long are you going to stay with me?"

Rose's pulse pounded in her ears. There was a weight to this conversation that hadn't been present before. She held his gaze, letting him see all her love and devotion. "Forever." Her voice trembled slightly. "How long are you going to stay with me?"

"Forever," he repeated back to her, his eyes getting damp. "Rose Tyler," he stood and turned to face her before sinking down onto one knee as he pulled a box from his pocket. "Will you make me the happiest man to have ever existed and marry me?"

Rose didn't even look at the ring that John had spent two hours agonizing over in the jewelry store. Her wide eyes were trained on John's. A smile burst across her face as her answer came on a sob. "Yes! Yes, of course I'll marry you!" She slid off the bench to kneel in the frozen grass with John, pulling him into an embrace with one arm around his shoulders and the other sliding into his hair. "I love you so much," she sobbed into his shoulder and then loosened her hold when he pulled back only to have him crush his mouth to hers.

She realized he hadn't meant to kiss her that hard as he gentled the kiss, slowly and sweetly sliding his lips along hers. His tongue would appear randomly, either with a teasing flick or a sensual glide along hers before retreating and the kiss would be back to relatively chaste.

He pulled back and dropped one more quick kiss to her lips before lifting her left hand. Thankfully, he had instinctively closed the ring box before the ring could fall out during their embrace. He slid the ring onto her finger and placed a kiss to it before turning it in the moonlight, knowing he made the right choice. Some of the more popular rings hadn't been a circle, the two ends twisting to miss each other and something about that made John shudder. Those rings had a beginning and an end. He liked the completeness of the circle, no endpoint, it just continued on its loop forever. He spent another second watching it glitter and shine and looked up at Rose expectantly. "Do you like it?"

She was still smiling softly at him, a dreamy expression on her face. "Hmm?"

"Do you like your ring?" John's amused voice broke her from her daze and she giggled.

"I still haven't looked at it." She looked down at her hand and gasped softly. Two delicate platinum bands were wrapped around each other to form the ring. In the middle, sat a round diamond solitaire, with three smaller round diamonds on each side. She tilted her hand from side to side, watching the light shimmer off the stones. "John, this is beautiful."

Rose cupped his cheeks and leaned in to give him another soft kiss. He smiled into the kiss as he felt the cold band of her ring touch his cheek and unable to contain his joy, he pulled away before drawing Rose into a hug and giggling into her neck. The fact that John was _giggling_ sent an answering joy swirling through Rose and she giggled along with him.

Finally, the feeling of the frozen ground registered to John and he stood before gently helping Rose to her feet. The blanket they had used to cover themselves was heaped on the ground and John was thankful it had protected Rose's dress from grass and dirt. He peered into her eyes as he tugged her close, the love and elation running between them almost palpable. "Do you have any special wedding plans you wanted, Rose? Guests? Locations? Anything?"

Rose was a bit confused by his questions. Not so much the questions themselves, but there was excitement in his voice. And it didn't seem to be excitement about the answers to his questions, but like there was another question he wanted to ask.

Rose debated her answers. Of course, she had always pictured her wedding when she was a child. But her daydreams changed depending on her mood and age. Even now at twenty-three, she wasn't quite sure what she wanted. She didn't have any close family left or any particularly good friends she wanted to invite. There wasn't a location in their little village that enticed her as a wedding venue. All she really wanted was John, so that's what she told him. "As long as I'm marrying you, the rest doesn't really matter to me."

John's breathing increased, excitement coursing through his system. He pressed his forehead to hers. "Run away with me," he muttered, his voice deep, quiet, and husky. "Let's go to Barcelona and get married. Right now."

His enthusiasm was contagious and Rose found herself almost bristling with the same energy he was exuding. "R-right now? What about work?"

"Taken care of. I asked the headmaster for permission to leave and he granted it."

Now they were both breathing heavily, the excitement and reality of what they were about to do tangled up inside of Rose and released as a giddy laugh. She pulled John into the house and kissed him quickly. "Go pack! Meet me back here once you're done."

John's eyes glowed with happiness. "As my lady wishes."


	13. Chapter 13

I had to rely on Google Maps and a few unhelpful Google searches for travel information. Since the searches were so lacking, I had to kind of wing it. Fair warning.

* * *

Chapter 13

* * *

Rose changed into more comfortable traveling clothes and had her suitcase packed in record time. She spent a few minutes making sure the house was clean and that there was nothing out that would spoil. She picked up the blankets they had been using outside and put those away. She had barely sat down to wait when she let out a squeak and dashed into her room. She almost forgot one of the most important pieces for a wedding.

John arrived just minutes after Rose had double-checked that she had everything. "Are you ready for this adventure, Rose Tyler?"

"Absolutely!" Rose locked up her house and when John bent to grab her suitcase, she made a noise of protest.

"What's wrong, Rose?"

"If you carry my suitcase, I can't hold your hand," she pouted.

John shook his head fondly as he let her get her own suitcase so they could hold hands. Once their hands were entwined, he grinned down at her, mischievous and excited and so utterly enthralled by the woman next to him. "Run!"

It was hardly appropriate behavior and they were giggling and breathless when they reached the stables. "Mr. Tyler! Miss Tyler! What brings you two here so late this evening?"

John smiled apologetically. "I realize it's very late, but could we get a ride into London? I'll pay double your regular rates."

The stable master shook his head with a smile. "You don't need to pay double. Wait here and I'll bring the carriage around."

* * *

As Rose and John got off the carriage at the train station, John nodded towards an inn down the block. "We'll need to stay at the inn for tonight and catch the first train tomorrow."

"So, what exactly is our route to Barcelona?"

John grinned. He had researched this over the past two evenings after returning to his room at the school. "There's a train that goes from here to Brighton very early tomorrow morning. That ride should last about two hours. From there, we can catch a ship going to Le Havre on the northern coast of France. We'll be on the ship for about four hours. From Le Havre, we can catch another train that will take us all the way across France and into Spain, straight to Barcelona. That train ride should take around nineteen hours." He winced a bit at the length of that train ride. "Sorry, love."

Rose thought she had plenty of money with her. She wasn't ignorant of the fact that travel was expensive, but that sounded like it would take most of her funds. "How are we supposed to pay for this?" Her cheeks were flaming and she was ashamed of her impetuousness. Travel was expensive on its own. Then there were hotels and separate rooms until the wedding and food and the return trip and whatever expenses they came across for the wedding. What had she been thinking agreeing to this? Yes, she wanted to marry John and yes, he was all she really needed or wanted. But there were more practical things to consider and she had only focused on the romance of it all.

John stepped forward to lay a cooling hand on her warm cheek. "Rose, I have it covered. A teaching salary may not be much, but I save most of my money. Plus, my family was rather…well to do. Don't worry about it."

She blew out a deep breath and tried to calm down and reclaim the euphoria of just a few moments ago. John came to the rescue – which seemed to be his talent – offering just the right words. "We're about to be married, Rose. What's mine is yours. Let me take care of you. That will be my privilege as your husband, right? Let me enjoy doing so."

Rose gave him a small, grateful smile. "As usual, you know just what to say to cheer me up."

John pressed a quick kiss to her forehead and led her inside the small inn.

* * *

Rose, who had never been farther than London, was delightedly watching the scenery fly by as the train rumbled south towards Brighton. "This is incredible!"

John found her wonder and enthusiasm breathtaking. With an armrest in between them, he couldn't press her into his side the way he wanted to. So, he contented himself with weaving their arms and hands together. Rose leaned her head on his shoulder and together they watched the world flash by them.

* * *

As they left the train station in Brighton, Rose frowned up at John. "How long do we have to wait for the ship to France?"

John grinned as they made the relatively short walk to the port. "It boards in just two hours." He sent her a sidelong glance. "Everything worked out very conveniently for us. Just more proof this was meant to be."

Rose giggled and bumped his shoulder with hers. "I like that idea."

The ship was nothing glamorous or exotic, but Rose didn't care. She could handle four hours if it got her closer to marrying John.

* * *

Jack knocked on Rose's door on Sunday afternoon. He couldn't find John anywhere and was starting to worry a little. He honestly kind of hoped the man would be here and had finally gotten some loving. This thing he had with Rose was hot enough to scorch. Jack would have been nearly mad with want by this point.

When no one answered at Rose's house either, the knot in Jack's stomach tightened further into almost panic. He walked quickly but calmly to the edge of the village and then burst into a sprint as he raced for the TARDIS. He burst through her doors and raced to the console, pushing the sequence of buttons that would initiate a scan. "Where is he? What is your pilot thinking?"

There was an indignant hum from the TARDIS, as if to say 'how should I know'. Jack took a deep breath and blew it out, trying to calm himself. "I know. He's not exactly himself, right now. How could you know what he's doing? He's just like any other human, blundering around out there."

Jack sucked in a breath as a few memories clicked into place in a whole new light. "Any other human…," he breathed.

 _John and Rose, hot enough to scorch._

' _Sometimes you just know.'_

 _Rose saying the same thing._

 _John had business in London a few days ago._

 _A velvet box sitting on John's desk._

"SHIT!" Jack rubbed his hands over his face. "I didn't think anything of it. It was one of those times when you see something, but what it is doesn't really register with you," he explained to the time ship. "What do I do?! Have you found him?!"

While Jack panicked, knowing exactly what John and Rose were doing, the TARDIS remained calm. Her tone turned soothing and Jack placed his hands over his ears. "STOP IT! Don't you know what's happening? Your idiot Time Lord has gone off to get married! He thinks he's human, he's about to have a human wife! They're going to get hurt!"

The TARDIS continued to remain calm and try to soothe him, but Jack just huffed and went to look at the scan. "Why is nothing happening? Why aren't you scanning?"

When he got nothing in return, he stomped off into the ship. With his adrenaline flowing, he needed a good workout in the TARDIS' gym.

* * *

If the TARDIS could breathe a sigh of relief, she would have. Her Jack had tried so diligently to muck things up. She couldn't blame him. His heart had been in the right place.

But had he succeeded, it would have led to centuries more of heartache and solitude for her Thief and an unhappy, abusive marriage for her Wolf. Thankfully, her Thief and Wolf knew deep down that they were supposed to be together and were on their way to make their union legal and binding.

Now that no outside forces could tear them apart, she just hoped her Wolf would accept her Thief as his Time Lord self. It would be a lot to handle, but if anyone could do it, it was her Wolf. The timelines were straightening themselves out, dwindling down to the few that stretched into a happy eternity for her pilot and his soon-to-be mate. She had done what she could. The rest was up to them.

* * *

Rose breathed deeply once they were off the boat and appreciated the sturdiness of the ground more than she ever had before. Not only did the choppy sea travel make her the slightest bit queasy, but December on the sea was a cold experience. A warm hand squeezed her shoulder. "Feeling any better?"

"The cold was worse than the queasiness. If I didn't go on deck, which I avoided because it was freezing up there, then I didn't feel too bad."

John nodded. "Good." He took a look around at the beautiful scenery. "Rose, look at this."

"I'm looking," came Rose's awestruck voice. She had seen cathedrals and towering old architecture in London, but this was France. The fact that it was a totally different country made the scenes a bit more special. "John, we're in France!"

A tiny, answering giggle bubbled up from deep in John's throat.

It was late afternoon, but another train was scheduled to leave for Barcelona that evening. So, they opted to go ahead and start the last leg of their journey instead of staying at an inn for the night.

* * *

John rejoiced at the old-fashioned train with private cabins. Without the privacy of Rose's house, John had been unable to cuddle her as he loved to do. The bench seats and enclosed compartments would allow him more freedom to show affection.

They took their seats and John pulled Rose into his side, eagerly wrapping his arms around her waist. She merely raised an eyebrow and he blinked innocently back at her, prompting a giggle before she burrowed closer into his side. "It's only been eight hours, but I missed this," she admitted quietly, tracing her hand along the back of John's hand.

"Me, too." He savored the closeness for few minutes, soaking in the feel of her as he thought about their time table. "This train leaves at 5:00, so we should reach Barcelona around noon tomorrow."

Unable to resist, he leaned his forehead against her temple and started to press tiny kisses to her cheek and jaw. He brushed his lips at a spot behind her ear and smirked at the shiver that passed through her. He'd have to remember that spot for later. "I don't think we'll have time to get ready and to the courthouse before it closes tomorrow. Do you want to get married Tuesday? We could stay at an inn near the courthouse." He closed his eyes and kissed her cheek. "Head to the courthouse in the morning on Tuesday to get married." He brushed his lips along her jaw. "Come back to the inn and move myself into your room." He kissed that spot behind her ear again and Rose jerked away from him.

"John Tyler!" She couldn't hold onto her frustration with him grinning knowingly at her. "It is hard to concentrate when your lips are on me and you were saying something important!" Looking at his sparkling eyes, all her affection surged up. "Git," she muttered with a smile and a headshake.

John chuckled and kept his distance so she could focus. "Do you want to get married on Tuesday? I'm sure there will be some accommodations near the courthouse. We can stay there and get married Tuesday morning."

Rose felt the same excitement and giddiness she felt when they got engaged rising in her again. "Yeah, I do." Her smile immediately fell into a frown. "We didn't buy wedding rings!"

John rubbed his hand along the back of his neck. "Actually, when I bought your engagement ring, I may have purchased the whole set," he admitted sheepishly.

"You've had our rings this whole time?"

John couldn't decipher the tone of her voice, so his answer came out as a question. "Yes?"

"Can I see them?" This time, her tone was undoubtedly eager, so John reached for the suitcase holding their rings and pulled them out for her. Rose smiled as she studied the two platinum bands resting in her palm. Her wedding band had two delicate strands of platinum twisting together, matching her engagement ring perfectly. John's was identical, just thicker indicating it was for a man. "They're perfect, John."

* * *

As nighttime rolled around, a situation they hadn't encountered before greeted them. There was a pull-out bed in their cabin, big enough for two, but it was just the one. Rose giggled nervously with a deep pink gracing her cheeks. "We're being silly. It's not like we'd forget ourselves on a train with other people so close by. And we are headed to Barcelona to get married, so it's not like we aren't committed to each other."

John nodded and cleared his throat. "Um, if you want to go use the facilities first, then you can change in here while I go use them and I can change in there. It's more acceptable to see a man walking through in his dressing gown than a woman."

Rose nodded with a grateful smile. "Okay."

* * *

Shy smiles were exchanged as John re-entered the cabin. Rose was already seated in the bed and she smiled wider at John as he moved to join her. "You've seen me in my robe and my pajamas before, but I've never seen you in yours."

He turned a circle, grinning teasingly at her. "So, what do you think?"

He winked and Rose dissolved into giggles. "Very dashing." The banter chased away the anxiety of a few minutes ago and Rose turned towards John as he got into bed. "I love you." She kissed him sweetly before laying down.

"I love you, too."

John was tense, like he wanted to say more and Rose cracked open one eye. "Something bothering you?"

"I…would you…could we maybe…," he huffed in frustration and tried again. "Is it alright if I hold you, Rose?"

Wordlessly, Rose scooted closer and snuggled into John as he wrapped an arm around her waist.

* * *

The next morning was only slightly awkward. John woke just seconds before Rose did, which he was immensely grateful for. It wasn't so easy to control your reactions to your beautiful fiancée when sleep was involved. With shy smiles, they silently took turns in the facilities. John went first and Rose dressed while he was gone. When he came back, she went to use the facilities. Once they were both dressed and awake, the nervousness faded and they were back to their old selves, chatting quietly and watching the terrain shift into the bright colors of Barcelona.

* * *

Rose spent a few minutes soaking in the luxurious tub in the en suite bathroom before starting to wash herself. After a two hour train ride, four hours at sea, and another nineteen hour train ride, Rose was feeling particularly filthy. John had also insisted they sightsee as soon as they arrived, so they had wandered the beautiful town for the rest of the day, adding to Rose's feeling of filth.

She glanced around the bathroom as she let the hot water soothe away the stiffness that comes with 25 hours of travel, not to mention the wait time between sections of travel. John had went all out on this hotel. The rooms were spacious and lavishly decorated. Plush cream-colored carpet covered the floor and the walls were covered in a maroon patterned wallpaper. A giant four-poster bed dominated the room, a small table and two chairs were positioned on one side of the room and a dresser was pushed against the opposite wall. On the wall opposite the bed, a marble fireplace added to the room's elegance. On either side of the bed, massive windows covered in gorgeous ivory drapes looked out over Barcelona.

Rose had never imagined she would see anything like this, never thought she would have the opportunity to travel, and definitely never imagined she would marry a remarkable man in an exotic foreign city. She thanked her lucky stars for her good fortune as she began to clean up, being extra thorough since tomorrow was her wedding day.


	14. Chapter 14

I have some notes!

First of all, many thanks for the kind reviews! Everyone has been so eagerly looking forward to the wedding (once it became clear it was happening) that I felt cruel making you all wait when it was done and sitting on my laptop. So, as a thank you gift for being such nice people, I'm posting it early.

Second, my personal headcanon, is that the Doctor has never done _things_. When the Ninth Doctor says Rose can assume he's danced, I always like to think of it as more he's insulted she didn't think he had. Not that he actually has. Just my own personal thing I like to believe. :) And a necessary disclosure considering an aspect I've put in this story.

This chapter is longer. And earns the rating. There are a couple (absolutely brilliant!) rewrites of this arc that have John and Rose being very reserved during their 'activities'. My depiction is a bit more adventurous. Main reason? Because Jack's there, and I like to think that even in the implanted memories, Jack is a corrupting influence. :)

I'm going to run and hide, now. NSFW.

* * *

Chapter 14

* * *

Rose debated as she stared into the mirror in her room. It was unconventional for a woman to wear her hair down, but John seemed to like her hair that way if all the times he tugged her hairstyle out to kiss her were any indication. With a nod of decision, Rose set about putting the hot rollers in her hair. Once done, she applied the same small amount of mascara and lip color as she had for the dance, and then started to make sure she had everything she could possibly need.

Satisfied that everything was laid out on her bed, she turned her attention back to her hair. The hot rollers had put big, loose curls in her hair which she carefully combed, hoping they wouldn't disappear as she worked. After that, she laced up her corset and pulled on her wedding gown, the same one her mother had worn on her wedding day. Rose had loved that dress for as long as she could remember. It was the one detail about her dream wedding that had never changed. It was a simple gown, white satin fitted from above her breasts to her waist then flaring slightly and flowing down to the floor. White lace covered it, starting with a high neck and covering her arms and the entirety of the gown and its short train. Her veil was a simple piece of lace that matched the lace of the gown and flowed to her waist. It was attached to a row of pearls that she carefully arranged on top of her head, making it look as though the lace was draped over her hair.

Picking up the small bouquet of white and red roses that the concierge had delivered from John, she sat on the bed to wait for her fiancé. She read the little card that had come with them one more time to settle her nerves. _'I love you, my Rose. I can't wait to see you for our wedding, my beautiful bride.'_

She sighed and focused on how much she loved John, instead of her nerves. She wasn't worried so much about the actual wedding. There was no doubt in her mind that she wanted to marry John and the officiant would lead them through the ceremony. Her nerves were centered on after the wedding and the physical intimacy that would be expected. Oh, she wanted to share that with John and she would, but she was anxious about it. She had heard it could be painful and she wasn't quite sure what was expected of her. She just hoped instinct would take over and guide her.

* * *

John fixed his hair for what seemed to be the hundredth time. Those few pieces of fringe were determined to lay against his forehead no matter how many times he combed them away. He gave up with a sigh. It looked strange all slicked over to the side anyway. Making sure he had Rose's ring and his wallet, he took a deep breath. He couldn't remember a happier moment than this one, getting ready to pick up his bride for their wedding. With a massive smile, he left his room and headed down the hallway toward Rose's room.

He knocked lightly and waited with bated breath to see what Rose was wearing. She managed to take his breath away every time they got dressed up to go somewhere. He was not at all prepared for the sight of her. "Oh my," he breathed as he took her in.

Rose fluttered her free hand around her hair and dress. "What? What's wrong?"

"You…Rose…," he floundered, wide-eyed. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and rested his forehead against hers while his hands rested on her waist. "You are breathtakingly beautiful, my love. I feel so incredibly lucky that in just a short while, I can call you mine."

Rose blushed and rested her palm against his pounding heart. "Can I call you mine, then?"

John pulled back and gazed down into her glittering eyes. "I've been yours since we met, Rose."

"That's something we have in common, then." He ducked to kiss her, but she dodged it with a cheeky grin. "We aren't at that part, yet, John."

He frowned down at her, trying to look heartbroken with his pouty lip and wide eyes. "Not even one last kiss with you as my fiancée?"

Rose giggled as a blush spread across her cheeks. "I'd say last night's kiss was a pretty good final one, wouldn't you?"

John's eyes turned a bit distant as the memory played in his mind. He had accompanied Rose into her room, just to make sure her accommodations were suitable, and had given her a kiss before leaving. There had been a sweetness to the kiss, the love they had for each other a tangible thing. But there had also been a slow heat, tongues and lips gliding against each other and soft sighs as their hands travelled to almost scandalous places. John's had ended up very low on Rose's back, his fingertips just tracing the beginning of the curve into her bum. Rose's hands were respectably on John's shoulders. But she had unconsciously pushed her hips into John's burgeoning erection. He allowed himself to enjoy the pressure for just a few seconds with an answering push and then slowly pulled away from her.

Rose snapped her fingers into front of John and he blinked as he came back to himself. "You all right?" she teased with a knowing look.

He pouted for just a second, but was too happy to hold it. "Well, if I have to wait until we're married to kiss you again, we better get going." He stepped back and offered his arm. "Rose Tyler?"

"Yes, John Tyler?"

"What would you say if I said, let's go get married?"

Rose took his arm with a soft smile. "I'd say that's a great idea."

"In that case, let's go get married!" John's voice wavered the slightest around the sudden lump in his throat.

Rose let out a laugh and sob together as she answered. "That's a great idea!"

* * *

Rose and John were led into a small room, the many flowers resting on various surfaces and the sunlight pouring in through the windows set this room apart from the other dull office spaces in the courthouse. The officiant turned to them and smiled kindly. "Are you ready?"

Rose and John both nodded with gigantic smiles on their faces and the friendly older gentleman just shook his head with a chuckle. Neither one really listened as he talked about love and commitment. Rose was too busy gazing at John, thinking how lucky she was and how much she loved him. John was thinking the same thoughts as he gazed back at her.

Rose was shaken from her thoughts by the officiant saying her name.

"Rose Tyler, do you take John Tyler to be your husband; to live together with him in the covenant of marriage? Do you promise to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, to be faithful unto him as long as you both shall live?"

Rose's eyes filled with happy tears as she looked deep into John's eyes. "I do."

John gave a little half-giggle that made Rose's stomach clench with the desire to hold him.

' _I love you,'_ she mouthed to him. A sentiment he returned as the officiant turned to him.

"John Tyler, do you take Rose Tyler to be your wife; to live together with her in the covenant of marriage? Do you promise to love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, to be faithful unto her as long as you both shall live?"

"I do," John answered with a smile, his love plain on his face as he looked at Rose.

"Rose, if you would place the ring on John's finger and repeat after me."

Rose pulled the ring from her thumb that she had kept clenched into a fist to hold the ring in place. She dutifully repeated the officiant's words, feeling the truth of them deep in her bones. "I love you with all that I am, all I have been, and all I ever shall be – with all my heart and soul – and now I offer my proof. This ring is the offering of my being, all my heart and soul, all I have and all I ever will have. It is yours, as I am yours – as I always have been yours and always will be yours. Forever."

John took his turn, repeating the same words – feeling them tug something deep inside him – and slipped Rose's ring onto her finger.

"Then by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife."

Despite the moisture pooling in their eyes, wide smiles lit up both of their faces.

The officiant smiled brightly. It made his day when he witnessed two people who were so in love pledging themselves to one another. "You may kiss the bride."

John pulled Rose close, wrapping one arm tightly around her waist and splaying his other hand on her back. When Rose wrapped her arms around his neck, he smiled against her lips and dipped her playfully. She let out a sound of surprise, but didn't break away from the kiss. John brought her back up and gently ended the kiss. It wouldn't do to snog her senseless in front of a stranger.

They posed for a few photographs that the officiant took, telling them to come and collect them in a few days.

They signed the marriage certificate sitting on a small table in one corner and once the officiant signed it, he handed it to them with a smile. "Congratulations on your marriage! May your union be blessed and joyful."

Rose and John beamed at him and then each other, thanking him as they left the room. Once outside, they jogged back to the hotel, too giddy to care about propriety and the stares from other people.

At the door to Rose's room, John unlocked and opened it. Rose was about to step inside when John swept her up into his arms without warning. "What are you doing?" Rose gasped.

"I'm carrying my new wife across the threshold." He set her down gently and gazed at her reverently. He cupped her cheeks and pressed his forehead gently to hers. "My wife. Rose, you're my wife now." The disbelief and wonder in his voice tugged at her heart.

"And you're my husband." She giggled happily. "John, we're married!"

John grinned widely at her and then noticed his luggage sitting in her room. "The concierge already moved me in here, it seems."

Rose's breathing turned a little ragged. "Th-that's good. Now, we won't have to waste time worrying about that."

John nodded as his eyes darkened and his gaze dropped to her mouth before flicking back up to her eyes. "Rose, if you aren't ready, I won't hold it against you or rush you. But, I would like to start our marriage off by making love to you."

Rose shivered at the heat in his words and his gaze. "I want to, John. But, I've never done this before. I don't want to disappoint you."

John chuckled shyly. "Well, we can figure it out together. I've heard Jack's stories, but I haven't actually…," he swirled his hand to fill in the blank and Rose felt a weight lift from her heart.

"Good. The thought of you sharing something this precious with another woman at some point in your past was devastating." She admitted.

John held her gaze as he moved to frame her face with his hands again. "The only woman who will ever know me in this way is you, Rose." He leaned in to place a sweet kiss to her lips.

Rose had been expecting activities to sort of explode. If she equated the simmering passion of their relationship to magma, then she thought once they took this step the eruption would be almost too much for her to keep up with. However, the way John was kissing her, so slowly and carefully, eased her nerves and she knew everything would be alright. They loved each other, they were married now, and she always felt safe with him.

John broke the kiss gently and led her over to the small table in the room. He guided her to sit in one of the chairs and knelt down to remove her shoes. He glanced up at her and blew out a breath as he slowly ran his thumb over her bottom lip. "I wish I had my paints with me. You always look beautiful, but today you look too exquisite for words."

Rose smiled softly at him. She wanted to offer John lovely words and adoring compliments, because he was beautiful, too and she loved him and he deserved to hear all those things. But nothing came to mind, just that familiar ache in her core to hold him close.

John picked up her foot and set it on his knee. Although he was trying to appear calm, Rose could feel his hands trembling faintly and finally she had some words she could offer him. He was brushing his fingers over the top of her stockinged foot, trying to gather his courage when Rose's soft hand tipped his head up. "John, I am yours. I meant that. Please don't be nervous." Despite the pounding in her chest and the ringing in her ears, she bravely started to inch her dress higher so that John could unclasp her stockings.

Careful fingers glided up her leg to the clasps holding her stockings in place and John unclipped them, slowly running his hands down her legs as he removed them, marveling at the smooth skin underneath. He was already embarrassingly aroused at this point and all he had done was touch her legs. He pushed back the momentary panic that he wouldn't be able to last, resolving to have Rose as worked up as he was before finally joining with her.

John stood and moved behind Rose. She could feel his fingers tracing over her veil, figuring out how it was sitting in her hair before carefully removing it and draping it over the other chair at the table. He came back around to face her and pulled her to her feet, wrapping his arms around her and leaning in for another kiss.

Rose decided she had enough of being docile. She couldn't expect John to not be nervous if she was a non-participant in all this. Hoping her hands didn't tremble too obviously, she slid them from their post around John's neck and down his chest to the buttons on his jacket. As the first button slipped free, John rewarded her by tapping his tongue to her lips, a plea she couldn't deny. With each button's opening, his tongue slid against hers. When she paused on the buttons to enjoy the kiss for a second, his tongue retreated and the kiss became chaste again. She made a noise of disappointment and felt him grin against her lips. Getting the message, she worked on the last two buttons and sighed happily as she wrapped her arms around his waist under the suit jacket and focused on the kiss.

John broke away slowly, needing to breathe and watched Rose, seeing what she would do next. Her eyes flicked up to his quickly and then back down to his chest as she bit her lip. Her hands grabbed the jacket and followed the material up to his shoulders where she pushed to remove it. He slid the jacket off and tossed it over a chair. When he turned back to Rose, she already had a hand on his bowtie, watching intently as the silk unraveled so she could pull it from his collar. She seemed to be gaining confidence as she worked, so John let her be, resting his hands on her waist as she unbuttoned his waistcoat. That too was removed and Rose hesitated as she looked at his shirt.

Wanting to erase the insecurity on her face, John took her hand and guided it to one of his cuffs. With permission granted, Rose took care of his cuffs and then worked on his shirt, pausing for a breath halfway through to calm her nerves. She finished unbuttoning it and felt heat rise in her cheeks as she pushed the shirt from his shoulders. She couldn't bring herself to remove his undershirt yet, knowing there was nothing else between that layer and his bare torso. So, she pushed on his shoulders to get him to sit in the chair and kneeled as he had done, to remove his shoes and socks.

When she stood, he stood with her and gently turned her so he could see the back of her dress. "How did you get these buttons done up," he murmured, voice low and a tad shaky as he swept her hair to the side and out of his way.

Rose jumped at the unexpected sound. The silence that had enveloped the room for the past few minutes had been like a living thing and she had almost forgotten speech was permissible. "One of the maids was kind enough to help me."

John's fingers traced over the buttons before undoing the top one and starting his way down. Rose wasn't sure if it was panic or eager anticipation that was causing her body to shiver subtly, but John noticed and paused on her dress. "Rose, if you aren't sure, it's alright. I honestly would understand."

Rose turned to look him in the eye. "If I wasn't sure, I wouldn't have married you, John. Yes, I'm nervous. I've never been undressed in front of a man before. And whether we consummate our marriage now or a few days from now, it will still be my first time and I'll still be nervous. I want this. I want you. Please never doubt that."

After John was mollified, she turned back around so he could finish with her dress. He swept her hair out of the way again and placed a kiss to the nape of her neck. Rose's breath caught and her eyes fluttered shut as the treatment continued. With each button's release, a kiss was planted on her spine until he reached the top of her corset and then the kisses would land on her shoulders. The last button came free and John's hands slipped up the back of her gown and gently started to ease the fabric from her shoulders. Once the material passed her wrists, the dress pooled on the floor around her feet. John came to stand in front of her and bit his lip as he took her in with wide eyes, from her feet, up to the short pantaloons she had on and up past her corset to her bare arms and shoulders. He smirked as his eyes landed on the fading spot where he had marked her just over a week ago in the carriage, a small pink patch sitting low on her neck.

Rose was fidgeting nervously and looking anywhere but at him, so he took her hands and pulled her from the heap of her dress before picking it up to lay it over the chair. After her gown was taken care of, he took her hands again and placed them on the clasp to his trousers. It was a risky move since he was practically throbbing, but once his trousers were gone, they'd be on equal footing again. He lowered his forehead to Rose's shoulder, hoping to distract himself by paying attention to bits of Rose he hadn't seen yet. Rose's fingers fumbled a few times due to their shaking and the feeling of John's lips moving along her shoulder, but she finally got the fastenings undone. The trousers fell and John quickly stepped out of them and laid them over the chair.

Rose took the bottom of his vest in her hands and looked at him for permission. When he nodded, she gently eased the shirt up over his head and blinked as his chest was revealed to her. She started to reach out to touch him and then pulled her hand back, started to reach out again, paused, and then finally set her hand against his chest, right over his heart. The frantic pumping eased her somewhat, knowing he was just as nervous as she was.

John's dark eyes held hers as he started unlacing her corset. He wanted her completely bare before he looked at her, knowing if he looked now he would get distracted. As the corset came free, he let it fall to the floor and stepped forward to kiss her. As the kiss continued, he pushed her pantaloons down far enough that gravity took over. Rose returned the favor, shaking hands pushed at his pants until they fell the rest of the way. With both of them completely undressed, he pulled Rose into him, deepening the kiss and moaning softly when her hard nipples brushed his chest. Rose gasped and then whimpered at the stimulation of not only his chest hair, but the feeling of his erection pressing into her belly.

John pulled back and scooped her up, carrying her to the large bed. He pulled back the sheets to set her down and as he did so, he got his first look at Rose. Seeing her uncertainty after his perusal, he cupped her cheek and willed her to see the sincerity in his eyes. "You're perfection, love. Absolute perfection."

Rose smiled and tried to appear calm, but her quivering legs gave her away. "You're beautiful, too, John." She held her hand out for him and he laid down next to her. They shifted so they were both laying on their sides facing each other, close enough together that the only thing visible was the other's face. John's left hand was laying between them and Rose brought her left hand up to stroke along his wedding ring. She laced their hands together, giggling as their wedding rings clinked against each other. Her smile fell as she looked at John, nerves creeping back in.

"What is it?"

"Just…all those times back home when we had to stop ourselves from going too far. There were so many times I wanted to just let it all happen, to show you how I felt by loving you in this way. And now here we are, married, and I'm too nervous to take any sort of initiative." She shook her head in disbelief before looking at her husband helplessly. "What do I do, John?"

He ran his hand through her hair, watching the silky strands slip through his fingers. "Remember when you were telling me 'please don't be nervous' earlier?" He looked into her eyes when she nodded. "I am yours, Rose. Just as you said you were mine. It's okay to explore and touch and look. I'll be doing the same. And if you don't like something I do, let me know and I'll let you know if something is uncomfortable for me. We're learning each other in a new way." He leaned forward to press his lips to her shoulder before whispering in her ear. "I know you're nervous, but I would really like it if you would touch me."

Feeling braver after that statement – if only marginally – Rose combed her fingers through John's chest hair and let her hand slowly trail down his stomach, watching in fascination as the muscles jumped under her touch. She wasn't brave enough to go any lower than his belly button, so she brought her hand back up and experimentally brushed against one of his nipples. John sucked in a breath. "Oh, that's brilliant," he breathed out.

John reached over to repay the favor, skimming a hand over Rose's breast. The sound she made as his fingers passed her hardened nipple was so gorgeous that he repeated the caress multiple times. The high-pitched whimper didn't happen again, but watching her chest heave as her breathing grew heavy was just as rewarding.

John shifted closer, leaning in to kiss Rose. The familiar sensation of kissing helped them to calm down slightly. The thought occurred to him then, that maybe they were going about this all wrong. When things had gotten out of hand back in the village, it had been progressing naturally. Instead of thinking about it in terms of step one, step two, and so forth as he had been doing, he decided to let it flow the way it always had back home. The kisses would develop into the bravery to go for more, he just needed to be patient about it.

With the need to control themselves gone now that they were married, Rose allowed her tongue to trace the seam of John's lips. John opened and almost immediately the tentative way they had been touching each other dissolved. Their kisses hadn't be Rose's hands had been resting on John's shoulders, but with the heated way they were kissing, she grew bold enough to move them. They slid down his arms and then under to wrap around his back, touching skin that hadn't been touched before. His muscles flexed as he moved closer to her and she squeezed, wanting to feel the shift and strength of the muscles that had captivated her as he chopped firewood.

John's fingers traced down her side, sliding over the side of her ribcage and dipping into the curve of her waist before rising up onto her hip. He paused there for just a second before continuing down to her thigh and pulling so her leg was up around his hip.

Rose made a surprised noise and her hips shuffled forward shyly. John's hips gave an involuntary roll forward in response and he groaned at the moisture he could feel gathering there. He was thankful he wasn't in a position where he could accidentally thrust into her. Listening to Jack Harkness for years had given him some advice that was helpful and he knew thrusting into her without preparing her would be unnecessarily painful.

After that, touches grew even bolder still. When John and Rose squeezed each other's backsides at the same time, shy giggles erupted between them. "Great minds think alike," John quipped before rolling so that Rose was on her back and he was straddling one of her legs.

The giggles faded abruptly and Rose lifted her hand to brush over one of John's eyebrows, down around the shell of his ear, and then bringing it forward to cup the side of his face. "I love you."

"I love you, too." The kiss he gave her this time was slow and sensual. His tongue dipped into her mouth to twine with hers, caressing and stroking, trying to pour all his love and devotion into this meeting of their mouths.

Rose shifted so one of her hands could gently push on one of John's legs while her other arm was pulling on his waist. John understood what she wanted and dropped down to lay atop her instead of hovering. With that much contact, John broke away from the kiss gasping. He dipped his head to bestow attention to Rose's neck, intent on marking her as his. Her hands slid up into his hair to keep him in place and Rose shifted her head just slightly so she could capture John's earlobe in her mouth. She gave it a suck and a nip before having to break away when John's clever fingers began toying with one of her breasts.

The shuddering moan she gave spurred John on and he gave one last suck to her neck, pulling back to admire the dark pink mark to match the one he gave her when they had their theater date. He trailed his way down her chest with kisses, eager to taste the skin beneath his caressing fingers. When his lips latched onto her nipple, Rose's hips arched and she gave a breathy moan of his name. That reaction caused his arousal to throb powerfully and he slowly inched a hand down to brush along her curls.

He felt Rose stiffen slightly, but as he eased one finger into her, she began to tentatively move her hips, matching his hand's rhythm. Feeling his love surge in his chest, he rose back up to kiss her as he continued to help her get used to the feeling of having him there. He pulled back to watch her face as he gently added a second finger. Her expression pinched into discomfort, but after a few seconds it had smoothed back out into pleasure.

As he carefully moved his fingers inside her, he recalled something else Jack had said. If a woman had an orgasm before penetration, that would also help. Jack's words had actually been more crass, but most of the time John couldn't even bring himself to _think_ with the words Jack used. As he considered his next move, a small warm hand wrapped around his erection and gave an experimental stroke. He quickly pulled Rose's hand away and kissed her fingertips, seeing the humiliated rejection on her face. "Rose love, if you do that, I won't be able to last," he explained apologetically.

"I want to touch you and learn what you like," she whispered.

"And you can, but I'm afraid it will have to be later. I'm already embarrassingly close just from touching you," he admitted.

He could feel Rose's walls begin to flutter around his fingers and slid down so his head was in front of her most intimate parts. He swiped his tongue against the area directly above his hand and watched in fascination as all of Rose's muscles tensed. She made that high-pitched whimpering noise he had wanted to hear again and he looked up to see her lip between her teeth and her eyes closed in pleasure. Pride filled him as she relaxed back onto the bed.

He shifted so that he was in between her legs and looking down into her face when her eyes opened. "John, that was incredible." He went willingly when she tugged him down for a kiss.

"Are you ready, Rose?" As he shifted his weight, the head of his erection brushed against her and she nodded. John laced his hands with hers up by her head and slowly began to inch his way inside. He hated to cause her any pain, but when he reached her barrier he quickly pushed through, hoping it would be better to get it over with. As he came to rest fully inside her, he dropped his head to her shoulder, feeling a lump in his throat. He and Rose had just given each other one of the most precious gifts they could have ever received. He lifted his head to look at her and seeing the discomfort on her face and a tear leaking from one clenched eye, his own eyes watered. "I'm sorry it hurt you, love."

She opened her eyes and shook her head. "I just…I love you."

John huffed a breath and smiled at her. "I love you, too." He shifted his hips slightly and Rose gasped. "You feel amazing, Rose. Like home and heaven at the same time."

Rose wanted to respond with her own words, but another shift of John's hips stole her breath and scattered her thoughts. He moved slowly and Rose's heart clenched at the love he was showing her. He dipped his head to kiss her and between that, the way he had his fingers laced with hers and the slow glide of him inside her, she had never felt more cherished.

As the moments moved on, John pulled back to rest his forehead against hers. She could see him trying to hold back, to keep himself under control and something in her rebelled at that. She wanted him to let himself go, to feel safe letting her see that side of him. She wasn't sure what he was fighting against, but as she noticed him trying to keep his pace steady, she thought she could guess.

"John, it doesn't hurt anymore. If you want to go faster, you can." As soon as those words left her mouth, John moved his arms underneath her. She reciprocated by wrapping her arms around him, one around his shoulder so her fingers could rest in his hair and the other around his waist. One of his hands slid lower to angle her hips up as his pace increased and Rose shuddered at the quick thrust and clitoral stimulation. "Do that again," she gasped. She thought she should probably feel embarrassed at making that demand, but it felt so good she decided she didn't care.

John concentrated on that spot, hoping to pull Rose over again before he reached his release. He wanted to feel her clenching around him, wanted to feel her walls squeezing him as she found her pleasure.

"John." His name was a breathless sound from his wife and finally he felt her walls clenching around him.

Instinct caused him to grind against her as she found her release and all those sensations combined to tip him over the edge. He clutched Rose to him as he moaned and pulsed deep inside of her, wave after wave of unbelievable euphoria washing over him.

They lay there gripping each other as they caught their breath and their heart rates returned to normal. John looked down at Rose only to see her grinning brightly back at him. "Hello," he grinned.

"Hello," Rose giggled in reply.

John started to withdraw, but Rose's hands quickly shot down to his bum and pushed to keep him there. "Don't go yet!"

She seemed to realize belatedly what she had done and started to pull her hands back with a deep blush splaying across her cheeks. John just grinned at his silly wife. "You know, I really don't mind if you touch me there." He waggled his eyebrows and Rose's blush intensified.

"John!" she scolded and swatted at him playfully.


	15. Chapter 15

THANK YOU for all your comments. You've made me laugh and smile like a goofball, so I greatly appreciate that. We're back to my normal posting schedule of Sunday nights, Tuesday nights, and Thursday nights.

NSFW.

* * *

Chapter 15

* * *

Rose woke up feeling warm and content. Being cuddled up to John's chest while he had an arm curled around her waist was a pretty great way to wake up from their nap. He was still asleep, so Rose took a moment to study her husband. She pouted a bit when she realized he was completely covered up to his shoulder so she couldn't see any more than his head. In sleep, he seemed younger, but most people did so she didn't linger on that. His hair, however, was a riotous mass of brown and she smiled at the sight. And then immediately blushed when she remembered how it got that way.

Being intimate with someone for the first time, she thought she may feel older and more mature. She thought she may feel more womanly or more like an adult. To her surprise, she didn't really feel any different mentally. Sure, physically there was a little bit of tenderness between her legs, but besides that, nothing. Maybe less restricted since they were married. But for the most part, she still felt like regular old Rose Tyler, school librarian.

She looked back up at John only to find him smiling softly back at her. "Hello, my lovely wife."

She could feel the heat radiate across her cheeks as she blushed. "Hello, my darling husband."

John frowned as Rose's shy smile turned into a pout. "What's wrong?"

Rose's blush ratcheted up a few notches as she answered him. "It occurs to me, that I never really got to explore you."

John tugged on his ear. "Wellll…you see…I was a little…things were…," he trailed off and looked at Rose while he tried to gather his thoughts, only to see an impish grin on her face. "Minx," he chided as he rolled to trap her beneath him, enjoying her squeal of surprise.

He leaned down to kiss her quickly and then rolled so Rose was resting on top of his chest. She hooked her arms under his arms and up to grasp his shoulders and hold him close while John carded his fingers through her hair.

Rose was replaying their earlier activities in her mind – hard to avoid since she was pressed against him and still naked – when a question came to her. "John? They taught us some things about…relations…in school. But even between those lessons and gossip with some of the girls, I've never heard of anyone doing what you did with your tongue. Where did you learn that?"

John sighed. "Honestly, most of my knowledge on the subject comes from Jack. Like I told you before, he is a good man. But he isn't afraid to indulge in the more…carnal pleasures. After years of friendship, you tend to hear stories." He winced as he thought of some of Jack's more lascivious tales. "He told me once, that there is more than one way to love a woman. At the time, I was quite a bit younger and we had just found his uncle's stash of whisky, which we were enjoying quite shamelessly. So, my inhibitions were down and I listened to some of his stories with rapt attention. I learned quite a few interesting things during that evening. Some of which I wish I could unlearn," he snorted. "But he mentioned various ways a man could bring pleasure to a woman. That way was one of them."

He looked down to see Rose had moved her hands to fold under her chin as she rested them on his chest. She was looking at him with a contemplative expression on her face and a blush on her cheeks. "So…is that something I could do for you?" Seeing his eyes widen and his jaw go slack, Rose rushed to apologize. "I'm sorry. Of course, a proper lady would never suggest something like that. I'm sorry."

John hauled her up and kissed her hard. When he pulled away, his voice was low and husky as he growled, "In this case then, I would very much prefer it if you would not act like a proper lady." He didn't want to offend her, so he decided he should explain himself. "Any time you touch me, any way you touch me, is wonderful, Rose. And I hope you don't think me uncouth or barbaric or an animal, but the thought of you loving me in that way…," he shuddered.

That shudder made up Rose's mind. If she could bring John pleasure that way, she certainly wouldn't mind trying, for his sake. Before she could contemplate that further, a growl sounded and she giggled. "Hungry, John?"

John smiled sheepishly at her. "Well, I was too nervous this morning to eat anything. Then, we engaged in some rather vigorous activities." He waggled his eyebrows and enjoyed Rose's giggle. "So, yes, I am hungry." He kissed Rose playfully. "We're coming back to this discussion, though."

Rose's smile was that flirty, tongue-touched grin that drove him to distraction. "Oh, I hope so."

* * *

As they strolled leisurely toward one of the restaurants around city hall, Rose was relieved to feel the comfort level return to what it always had been with John. It wasn't that she was uncomfortable with him when they made love, never that, but it was a little awkward. Of course, it was also their first time. Even her mother had told her one night, during a very embarrassing conversation, that most couples were awkward around each other the first time. It was new and exciting and scary and those nerves would fade as they learned more about each other.

* * *

They were seated at a small table in the large restaurant they had decided to try. John ordered for them both since he knew more about each dish and Rose couldn't decipher much of the Spanish menu. They chatted quietly as they waited for their food to arrive, trading flirts and innuendo as they rode the high of their brand new marriage. When the waiter put a dish containing chunks of fried potatoes on their table, Rose's eyes practically glowed as she looked at John. "What is this?"

John smiled at her. "Patatas bravas. It's a potato dish that is common in Spain. These are some of the dipping sauces that you can try. I'm not entirely sure what's in each one, though. It varies depending on the region and the establishment." He didn't know how he knew all that, but pushed the thought to the back of his mind. He must have read it somewhere. He watched as she dipped one of the potato chunks in what looked like tomato puree and took a cautious bite. "They may not have chips here, but at least it's potato," he offered.

Rose smiled back at him after finishing her bite. "They're good. Really good." Her eyes narrowed into a playful glare. "And why would I go to Barcelona and get _chips_ of all things? I mean, yeah it might be fun to see how they taste, since it's my favorite food. But I can get chips at home, from that place down the street that makes them perfectly."

John's left eyebrow arched up his forehead. His Rose's love of chips was no secret. "Are you sure you don't want to try their chips, Rose? We can go travelling and you can try chips in every country we go to. Aren't you curious?" John cajoled, his voice teasing and daring her. He watched the emotions flicker over her face and smiled when he saw her cave.

"Fine, yes, I'll admit it! I want to go on a chip tour of the world. I want to try every variety of chip we come across and then I will probably complain about how wrong they got it." She heaved a put-upon sigh and slightly stuck out her bottom lip in a fake pout.

John chuckled at her expression. For Rose, the chips down the street from her house would always be the perfect ones, but that didn't mean she wasn't curious. "That's what I thought."

* * *

Rose hugged John's arm close to her as they strolled through the city that evening. It wasn't as cold as London, and the colors seemed to add a warmth that London didn't have even during the summer months, but it was still a little chilly as evening set in. "I always thought Spanish food would be spicy. But our dinner tonight wasn't spicy at all."

John turned them down a street that would get them to the warmth of their hotel room sooner. "The notion that Spanish food is spicy is a common misconception. I'm not sure why or how that myth came about, but Spanish fare is mildly seasoned, just as most British food is."

Rose shivered as a breeze picked up and sighed as the hotel came into view. "Oh, thank goodness we're almost at the hotel. The weather here is nicer than back home, but it's still cold."

Once they were back in their room, John started a fire while Rose got ready for bed. When Rose came back to warm up by the fire, he left to get ready for bed himself. He snuck up behind his wife when he was done, chuckling at her surprised jolt as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "So, Mrs. Tyler, I believe we were having a very interesting discussion before we went to dinner." He turned her so they were face to face.

Rose tilted her head like she was confused, but John caught the twitch in her lips. "Were we? I don't recall."

"Mmm. We were thinking about trying some…options for intimacy that had an oral aspect involved." He nuzzled into her neck as he backed up towards the bed.

Rose wrinkled her nose and giggled. "Eww. John, did you have to make it sound so clinical?"

John laughed at her expression. "Sorry, love. I was trying to find a polite way to say it and that's what I came up with."

Rose shook her head and pushed John onto the bed. She wasn't sure where her confidence was coming from, but she hoped it never faded. Especially since the enraptured way John was looking at her right now was enough to send fire lancing through her veins and desire pooling low in her core. "I would have enjoyed the chance to explore my new husband and maybe engage in those…oral activities. But alas, he has already dressed for bed." She turned away from him as she spoke and a few seconds later, his robe went flying past her head. She turned back with a smile to see John with his hands clasped over his stomach and a smirk playing across his lips.

"The pajamas are removable, you know." He watched Rose expectantly, but when she went to unbutton his shirt he caught her hand. "Rose, I want you to know you don't have to do what we were saying. If you want to just make love like we did earlier, that's fine. Or if you just want to cuddle, that's fine, too. Your choice."

"We can't exactly make love like we did earlier, right now. I'm a bit sore," she explained.

John sat up, instantly alert and concerned. "Did I hurt you?"

His eyes roved over her like he was looking for injuries and Rose grasped his hands reassuringly. "No, love. Never. But, that was the first time. It's bound to be a little uncomfortable, at first." As soon as he seemed to relax, Rose grinned and pushed him to lie back again. "Now, if you don't mind, I do believe it's my turn to explore."

Without her fingers trembling, getting his pajama shirt undone and removed was quick work. Rose considered him for a moment. "Turn over, please?"

John blushed under her perusal, but turned without any hesitation. Rose brushed her hands across his back, admiring the dips and planes of muscles she had felt and fantasized about, but never seen. "Do you remember when you chopped firewood while I made dinner, John?" Her voice was low and quiet as she murmured to him.

A content rumble was her answer as she applied some pressure to a knot she felt in his lower back. "Did you know it wasn't until you were gathering the wood you had chopped that I could concentrate on dinner? While you were out there chopping, all I managed to do was peel a potato. One single potato. I was too mesmerized by the flex and pull of your back while you swung the axe, over and over again."

She noticed a tiny smile playing around John's lips and realized he was going to tease her mercilessly every time he chopped wood from now on. He groaned softly when she kneaded her palm into his shoulder and she knew she could play this game, too. "All I wanted to do that day, was touch you. Just like this." She squeezed his shoulders, but the angle was awkward, so she swung her leg over to straddle his hips.

She blushed slightly at her positioning, but it was much easier to rub his back from her new perch. "Even with your shirt on, it was distracting, love. Then again, you tend to have that effect on me. There have been so many times that I've been working or doing something at home, and I'll realize I've been thinking about you or looking at you and I've gotten nothing accomplished."

Rose leaned forward and placed a kiss to his spine before shifting to place her lips by his ear. "You do know you're beautiful, don't you, love? And I don't just mean physically, though you are devastatingly handsome. But you're also beautiful on the inside, in the ways that matter the most. And I love you so utterly and completely."

He whimpered slightly and Rose felt his hips shift just the smallest bit. She lifted off of him so he could turn over. As he did, he pulled Rose in for a kiss that made her stomach clench and her heart throb. Rose had meant to get John worked up as she touched him, but she hadn't been totally prepared for the fact that it went both ways. Her nether regions were slick with desire, but there was no way she would enjoy making love to him right now. Instead, she firmed up her resolve to touch him in the way he had touched her that morning.

As John's skillful, knee-weakening kiss continued, Rose allowed her hand to trail over his neck, down his chest and stomach, and come to rest on the hard length in his pajama bottoms. Rose gently ran her hand over the bulge, not quite sure where to go from there. John broke away from the kiss, gasping, and quickly wrestled the pajama bottoms off his legs, leaving himself bared to Rose's hungry gaze.

She moved so she was sitting in between his knees as she let her eyes trail over him, from his hair to his face, down his torso and his legs, then turning slightly so she could see his feet. She scooted herself back until she could easily take a foot in her hands. She ran her hands over the top and then pressed her thumbs into the arch of his foot. The resulting groan was almost enough to draw an answering whimper from her. She repeated her treatment on his other foot and then followed his ankles to his calves, letting the coarse leg hairs tickle her palms. As her hands passed his knees and began rubbing along his thighs, John's legs began to shiver in anticipation. "Please, Rose."

She looked up and started to seriously reconsider whether it would hurt if she made love with him tonight. His cheeks were flushed, his eyes were half-lidded, his bottom lip was caught in his teeth and his chest was heaving. She couldn't have imagined a more perfect sight. Her eyes shifted to where he wanted her to touch him and her confidence waned slightly. This piece of anatomy was new to her. She knew what it was of course, and knew that it was very sensitive. But that was about the extent of it.

"You'll have to tell me what you like, love." She reached out to loosely wrap her fingers around him and almost immediately John's hand came down over hers. With her grip tightened, he demonstrated a swift tug up and then down, then let go for Rose to try on her own. After settling into a rhythm, she looked up at John. "Is this okay?"

"J-just like that," he panted.

A pearly bead of moisture gathering at his tip caught Rose's attention. Remembering how intense it had been when John used his tongue on her, she gathered her courage and bent her head to lick the bead away. As her tongue swiped at John, he bucked slightly and threaded one hand into her hair with a low moan. "Oh, Rose. Please, please, please…," he mumbled frantically.

Feeling empowered, but not quite sure what he was asking for, she looked at John. "Whatever you wish, love. But I don't know what I'm supposed to do."

John was nearly delirious with arousal. "I-in your mouth. Please."

Inexperienced as she was, she took him too far and gagged at first, but soon she learned her own limits. Wrapping her hand around his base, she lowered her mouth as far as she could and worked them in tandem, following what instinct was telling her to do. He tasted a little bit bitter and a little bit salty, but it wasn't bad. The way he was trembling on the bed, his hands clenching and unclenching in her hair, and his incoherent murmuring all made it worth it. She would do this for him whenever he asked, just to see him like this again. Knowing she was able to get this reaction from him, knowing it was her who gave him this much pleasure, caused a rush of arousal to clench hard and deep in her belly. She no longer cared whether it would hurt to make love to him tonight. It couldn't be any worse than neglecting the desire coursing through her.

Suddenly, his hands left her hair to grab her arms and he hauled her up to kiss her. The kiss was sloppy and almost desperate and although she no longer had him in her mouth, she continued to pump him with her hand. She felt him pulse in her hand and he groaned against her mouth before pulling away from the kiss. His hips arched into her hand and she continued to pump, watching his brow furrow and his eyes clench shut as he bit his lip. She started to loosen her grip, wondering if she was hurting him. "Oh, Rose. Don't stop. Please don't stop."

She tightened her hold and resumed her rapid pace. He grunted and she watched in fascination as he was lost to his pleasure, his release spilling out onto his stomach and her hand as she continued to work him through it. His hand joined hers, slowing her tempo and loosening her grip as the last of his orgasm died down. "Rose, that was…," he trailed off, no words came to mind that covered how brilliant that had been.

"That was beautiful." He looked over and took in Rose's awed expression. "You were beautiful, John," she added quietly.

He leapt from the bed and swift steps carried him to the en suite. He returned seconds later with a flannel and wiped his release from Rose's hand. He had barely flung the flannel away before his hand was in Rose's hair. It wasn't the tentative way he usually slid his fingers into her hair. His hold was tight and sure as he fisted her locks to tip her head back and receive his kiss.

Rose moaned into this kiss. Maybe this wasn't the gentle way John usually handled her, but she still trusted him and knew he loved her and would never harm her. Truth be told, this dominant side of John was a bit of a turn on and so Rose tried to let him know with her reactions that this was okay, that this sort of passion was allowed.

The hand in her hair tightened at her moan and John pulled back only long enough to lift her nightgown over her head before he was pushing her back to the sheets. John made his way down her torso, dropping kisses as he went. He sucked a puckered nipple into his mouth, tugged slightly with his teeth and then laved it with his tongue. Rose clutched his head and arched into him in approval, so the treatment was repeated on the other breast.

As he neared the apex of her thighs, Rose shuddered, eager for him to touch her. Despite the almost rough behavior of seconds ago, his touches here were gentle and careful. One finger eased into her, making sure it didn't hurt her as the flat of his tongue trailed over her clitoris. Rose's hips arched towards him and she whimpered. The sound spiked John's arousal and he tried to subtly shift his hips on the duvet, hoping to get some friction on his renewed erection.

He pulled his finger from her, wanting to taste her flavor in its purest form. His tongue thrust into her center and Rose nearly sobbed. She tried to keep her hips still, but couldn't control the involuntary way they slightly rocked towards John with every swipe of his tongue or thrust of his fingers.

Rose was close. John could feel her fluttering around his fingers. With one last swipe of his tongue over her, John rose up to take a nipple into his mouth. He shifted his hand so that as his fingers continued their thrusting, he could use the heel of his hand to grind against her. The fluttering increased so John latched his mouth to Rose's, groaning as her nails scratched at his scalp. His arousal had only increased as he took care of Rose and now he was aching. Rose's hand that wasn't in his hair, brushed against his erection and she made a noise of surprise.

She broke the kiss and pulled his hand from her center. "Please, John."

He froze for a second. "I don't want to hurt you."

"Please," she begged and the needy whimper broke through his restraint.

With a groan, he slid into her, almost overwhelmed by the feeling. Between her fluttering and his throbbing, he knew this would be quick. It was only a few thrusts later that he was grunting into Rose's neck as his release claimed him and she was clenching around him, moaning his name.

John raised his head from Rose's neck after he had caught his breath and his worried expression cut through her post-coital daze. "What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry, Rose."

Her brow furrowed as she tried to make sense of his distress. "What are you apologizing for?"

"You said you were too sore, but then I…you know…anyway."

Understanding broke across Rose's face, followed by fond exasperation. "In case you didn't notice, I was the one who…initiated that. You have nothing to apologize for. And it was brilliant."

"I didn't hurt you?"

Rose cupped John's cheek in one hand. "No, you did not hurt me. I thoroughly enjoyed that, just now."

"And I didn't hurt you with my earlier aggressive behavior?"

The uncertainty on John's face broke Rose's heart. "I enjoyed that, too. Things are going to happen in the heat of the moment. One of us may act a bit differently than normal, and that's okay. Honestly, John, knowing that you lost control like that because of the way you felt with me...," she let out a shuddering breath. "It's an amazing feeling. And I want you to feel safe enough with me and secure enough in our love for each other, that you allow yourself to feel those things."

Feeling reassured, John wrapped himself around Rose, with one leg slung over hers and both arms around her torso. "I love you, Rose."

"I love you, too. Now let me sleep. I'm exhausted!"

John chuckled slightly and within seconds, both of them were sound asleep.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

* * *

Jack sighed at the TARDIS again. "It's been three days now! Last time I saw him was Saturday at the dance. Here we are, on Wednesday, and you still won't tell me anything!" He paced in the console room, his nerves on edge due to the absent Time Lord-turned-human he was supposed to be watching over.

"I was supposed to keep him out of trouble! Do you know what he's going to do when he comes back to himself? He's going to be furious with his stubborn, meddling time ship. That's you, by the way." Jack's furious pacing and wildly waving arms were helping to keep him from full-on panicking. "And then, he's going to drop me off somewhere! And you know why? Because he trusted me and I lost him! Hell, I'd be lucky if he just drops me off instead of chucking me into the nearest supernova!"

The TARDIS was less than impressed by Jack's melodrama and sent him the mental equivalent of an eyeroll.

Jack ignored her and continued pacing. "He's disappeared with Rose, probably getting married. That poor girl is an innocent in all this, getting swept away in a fairy tale romance, not aware that her Prince Charming is an alien! Her heart is gonna be completely broken after this and you're calmly letting it all happen!"

Finally, things started to click into place for Jack, who had been ranting at the TARDIS in his spare time since Sunday afternoon when he realized John and Rose were missing. The TARDIS's uncooperative nature and her knowing hum, almost soothing at times, suddenly took on a new meaning as he thought about it.

"You knew," he breathed out. "You are _letting_ all of this happen, but why?"

Jack continued pacing as more pieces came together. "The Doctor put you on random to find a place to hide. You chose this time and place, you chose our cover story, you have been hiding him from me." Jack rose wide-eyes to the time rotor. "No. No, you aren't _letting_ this happen. You _made_ this happen. Was this supposed to happen? Was he supposed to meet and fall in love with Rosie?" As frustrated as Jack was with the TARDIS, he was also a little bit excited at the prospect of the lonely Time Lord finding love.

The TARDIS let out an exasperated hum, as if trying to say, 'that's what I've been telling you'. Her Jack finally understood! And a good thing, too. She was tired of being yelled at. Soon, he would see that her Wolf was good for her Thief. The longer their relationship continued, even when her Thief was not entirely himself, the clearer the timelines became. She had no doubt at this point that her Wolf would accompany her Thief when they left this place and that they would stay a happily married couple.

Jack sighed as he processed all the information he had just put together. "Well, old girl, I hope you know what you're doing."

* * *

The first thing Rose was aware of as she woke up on Wednesday, was the odd position she was in, on her stomach with her arms straight down by her sides. The sensation that followed was the feeling of gentle fingers rubbing soothing lines up and down her bare back. She opened her eyes and saw John's face just inches from her own, smiling softly at her.

"Good morning, precious girl," he murmured to her before giving her a quick kiss.

Rose smiled back at him. "Good morning."

"What should we do today?"

Rose groaned as she propped herself up on her forearms. "First thing I'll need is a bath. _Someone_ got me quite dirty last night." She smirked at John as he grinned unrepentantly.

"Quite right, too," he exclaimed triumphantly. "A bath actually sounds like a brilliant idea. Care to share with your dear husband?" He waggled his eyebrows – a habit he had picked up after realizing it made Rose giggle – and she shook her head fondly.

"We can't…you know…if that's what you were hoping," Rose told him. "I really am too sore to attempt anything today. You may need to give me a recuperation day," she giggled in embarrassment.

John nodded. "We don't have to make love every day. I would very much enjoy being allowed to hold you while we relax in the bath, though."

Soon enough, Rose was situated in front of John, sitting slightly sideways so they could wrap their arms around each other. There had been some awkward fumbling, giggling and maneuvering as they washed each other's hair and lovingly caressed each other with washcloths, but it had been worth it to feel so cherished and know they were making the other feel that way in return.

John lightly drew random patterns along one of Rose's arms. "Any ideas for the next thing we should do?"

Rose looked up at John with a serious expression. "You may want to feed your ravenous wife."

John returned her serious expression. "Your ravenous husband agrees." Rose shivered slightly and he tightened his hold. "The water's cooling. Do you want to get out?"

Rose whimpered. "I was enjoying this." She brought a hand out of the water and frowned at her pruned fingertips. "But, I guess we've soaked long enough."

* * *

As they wandered down the street, trying to decide on breakfast, the smell of cinnamon wafted over to Rose and she perked up. "What is that? I smell cinnamon."

John eyed the food vendor down the street adjacent to them. "I think you're smelling churros, love." He tugged her down the street to the food stall.

Between the sweet, cinnamon churros and the thick, not-too-sweet hot chocolate they served with them, Rose was tempted to move to Barcelona permanently. "The food here is fantastic!" Her enthusiasm made John grin. He found if Rose was happy, it was contagious and he had no choice but to be happy with her.

John took another sip of the warm drink and hummed in agreement. "This is very good."

Rose seemed to be lost in thought as she licked at a drop of hot chocolate on the outside of her cup. The image conjured up memories from the night before and John squirmed slightly. "I want to go to the ocean," Rose said, apropos of nothing.

John blinked, thankful the odd request seized his attention from the more risqué thoughts he was headed towards. "What?"

Rose brought her gaze back from nothing and focused on John. "The ocean. I've never seen it."

John raised an eyebrow. "We saw the ocean on the boat to France."

Rose gave him a look like he should know better. "We crossed the English Channel, hardly an ocean. Plus, I was so miserably cold and queasy during the trip that I didn't get to look at the scenery."

John gave Rose his own look. "If you want to get technical, you can't see the ocean from Barcelona, either. What we would see is the Balearic Sea." He giggled slightly. "See the sea," he muttered.

Rose threw her hands up in surrender, a teasing grin on her lips. "Fine! Can we go see the Balearic Sea, then?"

John pretended to mull it over, though they both knew Rose only had to ask and he would do anything he could to make her happy. "I suppose."

Rose giggled as they stood from the little table near the food vendor. "It's got lots of water and a proper sandy beach, though. I'm counting it as the ocean."

John laughed as he laced his hand with hers. "As you wish."

* * *

By Thursday, John and Rose were aware they had seen just about everything there was to see in their little corner of Barcelona. Thus, the decision was made to travel back towards London at a leisurely pace. They would stop at various towns and cities as the mood struck them, whether they wanted to see something in that particular location or just to take a break from travel.

As they lounged in bed that evening, they poured over the maps John had with him, trying to see where they may want to go. "There!" Rose exclaimed, her finger on the border of France, Italy and Switzerland.

John grinned at her. "Fancy a bit of skiing, Mrs. Tyler?"

"Yes, please!"

Early the next morning, they checked out of their lavish hotel room in Barcelona, picked up their wedding photographs, and made their way to the train station. It would have been quicker to catch a boat from Barcelona to Marseille, but they decided a train would afford them better scenery.

It took thirteen hours to reach Chamonix, but it was worth the time spent on the train. The inn they were staying at had majestic views of the Alps nearby and was well-equipped to tend to first-time skiers. Rose and John spent the best part of two days falling down the small hills they tried to ski down or laughing until they were breathless as they threw snowballs at each other.

In the evenings, John gently made love to Rose on the thick pile of blankets, sheets and pillows they had heaped in front of the fireplace, preferring that location to the large bed in the room. The romance and the tenderness of the experience nearly brought tears to Rose's eyes each time, leaving her feeling exceedingly lucky.

On Sunday night, they agreed skiing wasn't really something they were good at and decided to move on. As they huddled in their nest in front of the fireplace, they studied the map to decide on their next destination. John grinned as his eyes landed on a city, wondering why it hadn't occurred to him sooner.

"Want to see the Eiffel Tower and Notre-Dame, Rose?"

Rose nuzzled John's neck, enjoying the shiver that rippled through him as she pressed a kiss to his Adam's apple. "Visiting the City of Love on our honeymoon? Sounds like a brilliant idea to me."

"Molto bene," John breathed in return, not quite sure where the expression came from.

* * *

Monday morning, Rose and John were settling in for a ten hour train ride to Paris and all the adventure they could find there. John rubbed the back of his neck as the train rolled out of the station. "Sorry about all the train rides on our honeymoon." He picked at a tiny hole in his seat. "It's not exactly romantic."

Rose shot him a glare. "Don't you dare apologize for one single second of our honeymoon, John Tyler! This is the happiest I've ever been in my life! Marrying you, being able to express my love to you more freely, travelling to these amazing destinations I never thought I'd be able to see…it's all been so magical. Even the train rides." Her gaze softened. "I wouldn't have missed it for the world."

"Even though you've spent a good portion of it stuck on a train?" He was still a bit uncertain.

"Stuck with you?" Rose grinned with her tongue in her teeth. "That's not so bad."

John shot her an uncertain but hopeful smile. "Yeah?"

Rose nodded decisively. "Yes."

* * *

Paris was beautiful and the romance of the city was undeniable, but as they looked out over the twinkling evening from the top of the Eiffel Tower a few days later, Rose sighed. "I've loved travelling with you and I hate to cut our honeymoon short, but I would like to have our first Christmas together at home."

John nodded. "I agree." A thought struck him and the arm he had wrapped around Rose's waist tightened slightly. "Do you want to keep the house you have now or get one of our own?"

Rose bit her lip, trying to put her reasons into words. "I was thinking get our own. That would have been the plan if Mum was still around and it's what I had always envisioned after my marriage." She thought for another minute and continued. "I mean, selling Mum and Dad's house feels a bit wrong, but that was the place _they_ purchased as a young couple, the place _they_ made a home and built their memories in. I want to do the same thing in our _own_ place." She turned so she could watch his expressions. "I want to buy a house with you that we make into a home, a place where we create our own memories."

John nodded with a besotted smile on his face. "I want that, too." He thought of the house in the field on the outskirts of town. The little cottage was perfect and he had been eyeing it almost since his relationship with Rose started. "What about that little cottage that's for sale? It's set far enough away from the village that it's private. We'd have a nice big garden for any future children. The house is the perfect size for a small family." He looked down and then lifted his gaze to her, a little nervous. "Or it would be easy to add rooms for a little bit bigger family."

Rose's wide smile took his breath away. "That would be wonderful." She blushed a bit as she thought over his last, hesitant statement. "The house, not the big family. Well, maybe the big family. You know what? Let's talk about family size later," she rambled quickly.

John couldn't help but chuckle at his flustered wife. "If you want, we can head back to London tomorrow and I'll visit the bank to see about buying the cottage. It'll be close, but I think we could possibly celebrate Christmas in our own home."

Rose shook her head at John. "Where are you getting all this money from? Do you have some secret occupation I don't know about? Ties to the black market?" She smiled with her tongue in her teeth to let him know she was only teasing him.

"Damn, you've discovered my secrets." John twirled an imaginary mustache and Rose giggled. "Seriously, my family had a bit of money. Well, more than a bit. It's just been sitting there since I inherited it. The best use of it that I can see, is starting out this brilliant life with my brilliant wife." He grinned as he thought about his statement, pleased with his unintentional rhyme.

Rose hummed happily and burrowed into his side. "Just be careful that you don't spoil me, John."

"You deserve to be pampered and spoiled. At least a little bit. Allow me that much?"

Rose sighed like she was making some great concession. "Oh, if you must treat me well, go ahead."

John pressed a quick kiss to her lips and took her hand. "The first thing I think I need to treat you to is a fire in our hotel room and a cup of tea so you can warm up. Your lips feel like ice, love."

Rose let him lead her down the steps of the Eiffel Tower, overwhelmed with love for the man she married.

* * *

Rose and John were riding a giddy high as they left Paris Thursday morning. After a three hour train ride to Le Havre, a four hour boat ride to Brighton, and another two hour train ride into London, Rose was ecstatic to see that John was hiring a car to take them back to the village. Cars may be smelly, noisy things, but she couldn't deny it would get them home faster than a carriage would.

* * *

John swept her up into his arms before she could take a step into the house. "Hang on, Mrs. Tyler. I'm supposed to carry you across the threshold. That's one tradition I will not miss out on."

Rose shot him a tired smile as he set her back on her feet. Once inside the familiar surroundings of her house, Rose plopped onto the couch before she had even removed her coat. "Just this morning, we were in Paris," Rose mused. "Now, here we are, back in our tiny little village of Farringham."

John pulled her into a standing position so he could take her coat, scarf, and gloves. "Tomorrow morning, I'll go see the bank about the cottage." He hung them up and returned to Rose, wrapping his arms around her waist and leaning in to capture her lips. As his lips moved over hers, Rose led him down the hallway to her bedroom. He pulled away and leaned his forehead against hers, beaming excitedly. "I guess while I'm doing that, you can begin packing up here. I'll come back and help you and then we can go pack up my room at the school."

Rose giggled, a sound that was bubbling with happiness. "I love you," she blurted, unable to contain her joy.

John chuckled back at her. "I love you, too. But the house will have to wait for the morning. Until then," he ran his hands down her arms, watching intently as she shivered, the mood shifting. "We'll have to find some other way to entertain ourselves."

Rose shot him a sinful smile. "I think I have some ideas."


	17. Chapter 17

Sorry this is so late. Work punched me in the face and all I've had the energy for is falling into bed when I get home. NSFW.

* * *

Chapter 17

* * *

John smiled tightly, trying to hide his irritation when he entered the bank. Due to the large sum of money he had deposited when he moved here, the rotund bank manager had taken an instant shine to him, fawning over him and trying to pawn his youngest daughter off on John. He had even gone so far as to start bringing the young woman with him to work on Fridays, since that was the day the teachers at the boys' school were paid, in the hopes that John would see her and feel an attraction to her.

Today was no different. He suddenly wished he had Rose with him as the greedy woman smiled coyly at him. "Oh, Mr. Tyler! We've missed you around here recently. Where have you been?"

"Oh, got married and then went travelling on my honeymoon," he replied happily, hoping that would end this strange match making effort the banker was trying.

He watched as the woman's eyes narrowed slightly and her lips turned into a pout. "You got married? And here I was, thinking we could have been so good together. Who did you marry?"

"The beautiful and magnificent Rose Tyler." John grinned proudly and then looked around the office, wanting to find the bank manager so they could get down to business and he could get out of there and back to Rose. "I need to speak to your father. Is he here?"

With a huff, she rolled her eyes and led him to the manager's office. John bit back a smile at the turn around in her attitude. Hopefully, the flirty smiles would stop and he could visit the bank without being accosted. She opened a door and poked her head in to announce his arrival. "The newly married John Tyler is here, Father."

He saw the manager's eyes widen slightly and then he schooled his features back into neutrality. "Send him in."

John entered, amused by the man's greeting. It was far less exuberant than previous greetings, but still enthusiastic. After all, John did still have a large sum of money in the bank. "Mr. Tyler! Wonderful to see you," he gushed, squeezing John's hand slightly more than necessary. "Disappeared and got married? You've only been in our village for what, a month or so?"

John nodded. "When it's the right person, you just know. Rose and I hit it off from the start. My first day here I knew she was special."

"Well, congratulations. I hope your marriage is a happy one. So, what brings you to my office today?"

"Two things, actually. First, I want to add Rose's name to my account."

The bank manager frowned slightly. "Are you sure the young missus won't spend all your money?"

John resisted the urge to yell at the man for the slight to Rose, but just barely. "I trust Rose completely. Everything I have is hers, too, now," he bit out. ' _I wouldn't trust your daughter within a mile of it, though,'_ he thought savagely.

The manager sighed as he filled out a form and then slid it to John to sign. "Very well. Miss Tyler can now access your account."

"Mrs. Tyler."

"What?"

"Mrs. Tyler. I married Rose. She's now Mrs. Tyler, not Miss Tyler. Our surnames may have been the same, but she's a married woman, now."

"Yes, of course. Slip of the tongue. I apologize. What was the second order of business?"

John didn't think it was a very sincere apology, or merely a slip of the tongue, but let it roll off his back. Today was too happy of an occasion to let the man get to him. "I would like to purchase the cottage on the outskirts of the village."

The bank manager sat a little straighter. "The first one you come to after passing the post office?"

John nodded. "Yes, that's the one."

The manager's mood brightened. Now that the cottage would be out of his hands and a large chunk of John's fortune would replace it, his former helpfulness returned. "Let me go find the necessary forms."

* * *

John returned to Rose's house to find her sweaty and slightly breathless, but glowing brighter than any star. She shot him a radiant smile and as the case always was, John felt himself automatically return it as he fell even deeper in love with her. "Guess what, my love?"

Rose placed the last of her books into a box and bounded over to him. "What?"

John shook a document at her and Rose took it to read. "It's ours?"

John smiled so wide his cheeks ached and he placed a key in Rose's hand. "It's ours."

Rose squealed happily and hugged him tightly before pressing a lingering kiss to his lips. She scanned the document again and her brow furrowed in confusion. "What will our payments be? I don't see that anywhere on here." Her eyes caught on the top, finally registering the words there. "The deed? Don't you get that when it's paid for in full?"

John clasped his hands behind his back and grinned at her as he rocked back on forth on his feet, waiting for the penny to drop. Rose looked at him suspiciously and then her eyes widened. "You paid for it in full?"

John nodded and his grin widened at her flummoxed expression. "I also added you to my account, so if you need something and I'm not here you have access to the money."

Rose shook her head slightly. "But John, I couldn't take your -," her words were cut off by a quick kiss from her husband.

"We're married, Rose. Everything that's mine is now yours, too. It's my privilege as your husband to be able to provide for you and take care of you. I've told you that before. Please let me enjoy it?"

Rose took in the sincerity in his voice and eyes and nodded slowly. "Alright, then. I guess I need to head to the bank as well and transfer my funds into your account." A slight growl from John made her correct herself with an indulgent grin. "Our account. I can take care of that Monday morning."

John continued to grin brightly as he agreed. Consolidating bank accounts just made their marriage even more real to him. He still sometimes wondered if this was some marvelous dream he was doomed to wake up from. With a skip in his step, he made his way into the kitchen to help Rose pack.

* * *

Rose was amazed at how quickly they managed to box up her home. The only things not packed were a few outfits and the toiletries needed for day to day use. "That's it, then." She groaned in dismay as her stomach grumbled quietly and she realized it was dinner time. "We packed the kitchen. I can't cook dinner for us."

John gave a pout. "And I was so looking forward to sampling more of your culinary prowess."

"Don't tease, John."

"I'm not teasing! You're an extremely talented cook, Rose and I have been looking forward to eating the meals you cook again. But, we've been working hard today and I don't want you to have to cook after all the packing we've done. Fancy grabbing dinner at the little café on the corner?"

Rose's eyes brightened. "Chips?"

John laughed at her expression, open and expectant and excited. "Yes, love. Chips."

In a matter of minutes, Rose and John were out the door and seated at the cafe, a basket of fish and chips in front of both of them. Rose smiled and clapped a little, making John's heart flutter. His wonderful wife was just as pleased by fish and chips as she was by fancy cuisine in Paris. Knowing Rose was pleased with the small things and not just the extravagant things he could give her just reinforced the knowledge that their love was a real one. He popped a chip into his mouth and hummed happily. They really did have the perfect chips here. "I don't think we'll be able to get my room boxed up tonight, obviously," John said. "We can tackle that tomorrow. I also want to borrow a wagon and a couple horses from the stable master. Hopefully, we'll be able to make just a few short trips to move into the house."

Rose bounced a little in excitement. "I can't wait!"

After dinner, they made their way to the cottage to take a look around. Suddenly, Rose's feet left the ground and her perspective shifted. "What are you doing?" she shrieked.

John grinned at her. "Carrying my wife across the threshold! It's tradition, Rose."

Rose rolled her eyes affectionately at her silly husband. "You carried me across the threshold when we got home yesterday and at the hotel after we got married."

John shook his head. "That was across the threshold to your parents' house and a hotel room. This is across the threshold for _our_ house." He stepped across the doorway and set her down before kissing her sweetly. "Here we are, love. _Our_ home. Our place to make our own memories and build our life."

Rose blinked back a few tears as she snuggled into John. "Perfect." She took a deep breath to collect herself and then shot him a bright smile. "Let's explore."

Fortunately, the bank had kept it clean and in good repair so they wouldn't need to concern themselves with any of that prior to moving. They wandered through the rooms, discussing where things should go and ideas they had for decorating their new home.

Finally, they called it a day. Exhausted from all the excitement, they trudged home and got ready for bed. It was a little bit early, but the day full of activity had worn them both out. Rose looped her arms around John's neck and tipped her head up for a kiss. "You better kiss me now, Mr. Tyler. Once my head hits that pillow, I'll be out for the night."

John smiled, dark brown eyes twinkling at her. "You and me both, love." They allowed themselves to indulge in a slow, deep kiss. Instead of inciting arousal, the kiss was meant to convey love and happiness between them. John eased the kiss and then pulled away, running his thumb along Rose's lower lip. "I love you."

Rose's eyes fluttered open and she smiled at him. "I love you, too." After spending a few moments snuggled into his embrace, she pulled away and got into bed. "Tomorrow's going to be exhausting, too, so you better get some sleep."

John slipped under the covers, immediately scooting up behind Rose and curling his arm around her waist. "Goodnight, love," he whispered as he situated the blankets up higher around their shoulders.

"Night," Rose managed to whisper, already half asleep.

* * *

Rose was a force to be reckoned with the next morning. The sun had barely risen by the time she had herself and John awake, bathed, dressed, and off to grab breakfast in town. As John strolled next to the woman who – he recently learned – normally needed a few minutes and some tea to wake up, he took in her giddy excitement with a smile. "Excited about today?"

Rose smiled back with a little bounce in her step. "Absolutely!"

* * *

As they sipped at their tea and munched on their scones, Rose asked John, "Do you think Jack would mind helping us move? It would get us into our new house quicker."

"I'll ask him once we get to the school."

* * *

John was not prepared for the glare his friend shot him when he saw him standing on the other side of his door. "Where did you disappear to?"

"Uh…Barcelona." A bashful smile lit his face as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Rose and I got married."

Despite his anger at the man in front of him, Jack felt his mouth slide up into a smile. "Congratulations, John. Rosie's a sweet girl. Make sure you take care of her." Jack's stomach did an uncomfortable little flip. Hopefully, when the Doctor returned he'd remember how the time with Rose has been nothing but joyful for him.

John nodded. "Always. But, I actually came here to ask a favor."

Jack's smile turned wicked. "Want some hands-on demonstrations on how to please a woman? Or on how Rose could please you?"

John blushed while Jack waggled his eyebrows. "Stop it," he sighed, used to his friend's teasing. Jack didn't mean it, at least, he was pretty sure he didn't mean it. Although he rather suspected his friend didn't care about gender when it came right down to it. "Can I ask you for a favor or not?"

One of Jack's eyebrows lifted. "Go on."

"Rose and I bought a house yesterday and we were wondering if you would mind helping us move in?"

Jack grinned. "Of course, I'll help!" He stepped out and locked his door. "What do you need from me first?"

* * *

Rose sighed tiredly as she made toast and scrambled eggs for dinner. It was easy and it was breakfast fare, but she couldn't bring herself to care. The day had been filled with packing up John's room and lifting heavy boxes and trying to decide where to position everything and she was spent.

John's arms wrapped around her from behind and a kiss landed on her cheek. "I got the sheets put on our bed and our bathroom unpacked. What do you say to a shared bath after dinner?"

Rose smiled up at him. "You are the best husband ever! I agree wholeheartedly with your bath idea."

"Good." With a quick kiss to her lips, John released her so he could prepare their tea. "I don't think it will take too long to unpack. We could probably have it mostly done, if not completed, by tomorrow evening. Then Monday there's no work because of the holiday." He glanced at Rose from the corner of his eye. Being her first Christmas without her mum, he wasn't sure how she would react to his suggestion. "After we take care of business at the bank, do you want to go get a Christmas tree?"

He had feared she might be unwilling to embrace the Christmas spirit, but the smile she shot him was genuine and bright. "Really? I'd love that." He shouldn't have been surprised. After all, it was her idea to return home to celebrate the holiday.

* * *

As Rose lounged against John in the bath, her exhaustion was swept away as longing tore through her. It was their first night in their very own home and she wanted them to spend the evening celebrating, not collapsing into bed and passing out immediately.

John seemed to have the same idea if the kisses to her shoulders and the fingers trailing along the sides of her breasts were any indication. They had never done this in a bathtub before, but it seemed John wanted to try it.

Rose squirmed, turning slightly so she could kiss John. Her hand wrapped around his half-hard length, feeling arousal clench deep in her belly when he hardened fully in her hand. When he broke the kiss, breathing heavily as Rose stroked him, she went to work kissing and nibbling at his neck. "Want to move this to the bedroom?"

"Actually, I want to try something a bit different," John growled, grabbing her hips to turn her to face him fully. He caught her lips in a sloppy kiss, groaning into her mouth as she continued to stroke him.

The fingers of one hand fisted in Rose's hair while the other hand trailed over a breast, rubbing and massaging the nipple into a hard peak. Rose whimpered at the sensations. John was always so gentle and careful with her. She had only seen this demanding side of him once during their honeymoon, and it thrilled her that he was comfortable enough with her and sure enough of her love for him, that he allowed this side to come through occasionally.

His hand slid down to her core and John groaned. "Ready for me so soon, Rose?"

She threaded her hands into his hair, needing something to ground her as his gravelly voice washed over her. "Yes," she panted in his ear. She loved hearing John murmur to her while they were intimate, but she usually felt a little too shy to return the favor.

John's fingers left her and then Rose was pulled forward. She only had a second to wonder what was happening before John was carefully guiding her down, sheathing himself inside. "Oh," she gasped out. "Oh, that feels so good."

John rarely heard Rose speak during these moments and the pleasure he felt when she did was intense. His arousal flared at her moaned statement and he grit his teeth to keep himself from thrusting into her before she had a minute to adjust.

Rose dove down to capture John's lips and his control shattered. He tried to get her to move in a quick rhythm, but the resistance of the water forced them to slow down and he groaned in frustration. The feeling of Rose moving on top of him, the slickness of their skin from the water, the sensations were phenomenal. And maybe one day when John wanted to have Rose slowly undulating on top of him, they could try the bath again. But right now, John needed things to move a little faster.

He moved Rose's legs so they were wrapped around his waist and then abruptly stood, causing Rose to shriek and tighten her arms and legs around him. Moving over to the wall in the bathroom, he used it to help support Rose and then pushed into her, pulling a low moan from her. "This alright?"

Rose tightened her legs, pulling him in deeper. "God, yes."

With a groan of relief, John pulled his hips back and slammed them into Rose. For one small moment, he was horrified at his actions, thinking he must have hurt his wife, but Rose's whispered request of "again" sent his arousal skyrocketing. He started in earnest then, a rapid push and pull that quickly had both of them close to the edge. "Rose, are you close, love?"

"Mmhmm," she moaned quietly into his ear and the sound sent him careening headlong into an intense release that caused his vision to blackout and his lungs to seize up.

The feeling of John's release pulsing into her was the last bit of stimulation Rose needed and she tightened her legs around John's waist, grinding against him to extend her pleasure and hopefully his as well.

John slowly lifted his head from its resting place on Rose's shoulder. He was shocked at his behavior. It was barbaric, certainly brutal, a way in which he had always promised himself he would never treat his wife. He wondered briefly how he even got the idea to use a wall, and then shook his head. Jack, no doubt. He was about to ask if he hurt her, but the way Rose was smiling at him, a lazy, sated thing, drove the question away. He gently set her on her feet and caught her when her knees buckled. "Alright, love?"

She just hummed at him. "That _has_ to happen again sometime."

John felt a quick burst of relief that Rose wasn't angry or hurt, but then his eyes darkened as arousal pulsed through him again. He wasn't quite ready for another round yet, but he only needed a few minutes. He reached for a towel to dry them off, but realized it wasn't necessary since they had air dried during their activities.

He scooped Rose into his arms and carried her into their bedroom. "I don't think I'm quite done with you yet, Mrs. Tyler. Think you can manage another round?"

"I may have to insist on another round, Mr. Tyler." Her tongue peeked out from between her teeth and John swooped in to chase it back into her mouth. Tongues and teeth and lips and hands wandered and worked and short moments later they were both gasping again. Both of them had their hands clenched in the other's hair, tugging as they traded control of the kiss back and forth.

John pulled back panting. "Can we try again, Rose? The position that didn't work in the bath?"

Wordlessly, Rose eagerly shifted so she was straddling John's hips. He took hold of her waist and slowly lowered her onto his length. She was a little swollen from their first round and the extra tightness made him roll his hips into her a few times, enjoying the increased friction. He stilled himself and opened his eyes to look at Rose. "Move how you want. You're in control this time."

Rose gave a tentative shift of her hips and then raised and lowered herself experimentally a few times. After testing out how different movements would feel, her eyes flashed and she started moving confidently. She raised and lowered herself quickly, adding a grinding motion on the way down that sent heat sparking along her nerve endings.

The deep moans she could hear coming from John caused her to look at him. Their gazes connected and the way John was looking at Rose, like she was a goddess, drew her forward. She leaned down to kiss him, nibbling his bottom lip and capturing those deep moans in her mouth. She let out her own moan as her nipples scraped against John's chest with her new position and her movements.

He was trying to give her control, so his hands were fisted in the bedsheets. Rose noticed and leaned forward to whisper in his ear. "Please touch me, John."

The change was intense. Large hands gripped her waist in an almost punishing fashion and suddenly she was being lifted and lowered quickly, John's hips pistoning up to meet hers on each downward pull. She sat back up, groaning when the action sent John deeper inside her. Glancing down at John propelled her towards her release. His head was pushed back into the pillow, neck arched slightly with his eyes screwed shut and his teeth clenched together.

As her orgasm ripped through her this time, she gasped and moaned. John cracked open his eyes to watch her lose herself to the pleasure and the sight brought him tumbling with her.

Rose came back to herself slowly, her mouth struggling to form words as she collected herself. "I can't…wow."

John chuckled slightly and she shuddered as the motion caused him to rub against her sensitive clit. "I agree."

She gently lifted off of John and lay down beside him, propping her head in her hand. "I mean, every time is intense in different ways. This sort of roughness is liberating and makes me feel desired, like you can't get enough of me."

"I can't."

"But when it's slow, it makes me feel cherished and loved."

"You are."

She rewarded him with a deep kiss. "I love both ways." She took a moment to organize her thoughts. "Will it always be this intense? Like we can't keep our hands off each other?"

John smiled brightly at her. "Oh, I hope so."

Rose giggled and worked on getting the covers over them before snuggling into his side. "I love you."

He barely managed to rumble out a reply before sleep claimed him.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

* * *

Rose woke up and tried not to groan at the soreness in her body. Everything hurt. But then again, it had been two intense rounds in unusual positions for them after a full day of moving. Most of her muscles had been tense when they were against the wall, and then when she was on top, her legs had gotten quite the work out. She was just thankful that repeated intimacy with John had mostly gotten rid of the discomfort she experienced in her more intimate regions the first couple morning afters. That surely would have been painful after their energetic – and glorious – rounds last night.

She was reluctant to open her eyes, but felt gentle fingers trailing along her arm and looked to see John watching his hand as he brushed it along her skin. He looked up at her and her heart broke at the guilty expression on his face. "How do you feel, love?"

Rose stretched slightly and smiled at him. "Pretty good." She paused and confessed. "My legs are a bit sore, but with the brilliant night we had that's to be expected." She waggled her eyebrows for good measure, pulling a huff of laughter from John.

"You aren't angry with me?"

"Why would I be angry? Because we were intimate in new and exciting ways and it was amazing? We've talked about this before." The guilty look on John's face was changing into a hopeful one so Rose pushed on. "John, if I didn't like something we were trying, I'd let you know. I didn't stop you last night, because I liked it. It all felt good and I would love to try all of that again. So, don't feel guilty if we try something new and you feel like you weren't gentle or sweet enough." She had one more thought for him. "Remember when you told me Jack told you, there was more than one way to love a woman?" John nodded reluctantly. "He was right. It doesn't always have to be one certain way or another."

She placed a soft kiss to his lips before getting out of bed and throwing a dressing gown on. "Alright, my love. We have a house to unpack, so up and at 'em!"

John threw her a mock salute, earlier angst forgotten with her revelations. "Yes, ma'am!"

* * *

They set about unpacking with a 'divide and conquer' strategy in the beginning. Rose shooed John out of the kitchen, saying that was her domain and he could work on the office since that would be mainly his. They made quick work of those rooms and with John having unpacked the bathroom the previous night, that just left the bedroom and the living room. There were two other bedrooms, but with no furniture to go in them, they were a moot point.

The living room could have gone quicker, but each time they passed each other a teasing caress or kiss was traded as they combined their belongings. As they worked on unpacking the bedroom, progress came to a halt as John playfully tackled Rose onto the bed and the ensuing tussle ended up in a heated snogging session.

Despite the setbacks and a few small disagreements over where things should go, they managed to settle into their new house, their possessions creating an amalgamation of John and Rose.

Rose was willing to cook dinner, but was relieved when John suggested eating in town again. The last few days had been tiring and productive and she just wanted to eat, take a bath, and sleep for the next day and a half.

* * *

Rose had gotten to eat and bathe, but sleep had been limited to nine hours. They had forgotten to close the heavy drapes the night before and the rising sun shone brightly and annoyingly right into her eyes. "Ugh!"

She pulled the duvet up over her head and felt John chuckle against the middle of her back. "Alright, love?"

"Is it too much to ask that I get to sleep for as long as I want after the past few hectic days?" She paused for a second before his position registered with her. "And why are you so far down in the bed?"

"I was using your body to block the sun."

Rose's grumpiness died a swift death and she giggled in amusement. "I was your shield?"

"Yep." John tightened his hold on her. "I was enjoying just laying here with you, but now that we're both awake, we should probably get going. We have to visit the bank and then get a Christmas tree."

Rose's desire to laze around with John warred with her desire to decorate for Christmas. Both were tantalizing prospects, but finally Christmas won out. She could lounge around with her husband any day, but Christmas was only one day a year. A day that was fast approaching.

She shuffled around to face John and he moved so that his head was resting on her chest. She placed a kiss to his forehead and then began running her fingers through his hair, smiling at the contented sigh he released. "You're right, we need to get up and get moving," she agreed. But nobody moved and within minutes, she and John had both fallen back to sleep.

* * *

When Rose woke up the second time, it was only an hour before noon and she mentally cursed at how late it was. But John was still asleep on her chest and she wanted to let him rest as much as he wanted to since the past few days had been just as exhausting for him as for her. She resumed stroking her fingers through John's hair while he rested, loving the feeling of the soft strands slipping through her hands.

John made a small groan in appreciation of the hands wandering through his hair as he began to wake up. Rose giggled as his eyes began to open. "You and your hair," she murmured.

He just hummed in agreement, turning his head to place a kiss on her neck. "What time is it?"

"Almost eleven. We really do need to get up, now."

John made a noise of protest, but dutifully rolled out of bed and shuffled towards the bathroom.

Rose smiled fondly and set about getting herself ready for the day.

* * *

As they entered the bank, John frowned at the manager's daughter as she swayed over towards them, a cold smile on her face. "Oh, Mr. Tyler! I'm so happy you could make time to come see me."

He felt Rose's grip on his hand tighten and glanced over to see her mouth pressed into a thin line. As aggravating as the manager's daughter was, he couldn't very well be rude to a woman, so he struggled for the right combination of civility and firmness as he spoke. "I'm sorry, but I'm not here to see you. I'm here for the same reason I always come to the bank. I need to speak with one of the employees."

"Oh, you're no fun, John! We'll have to find another time to enjoy each other's company," she cooed at him.

Finally, Rose had enough. If it wasn't the Matron or some floozy at the village dance or a jealous waitress, now she had to worry about this woman, too? She hadn't heard about the bank manager's daughter from John, but she trusted him. She'd hear the story soon enough. But for now, the flirty woman needed to be put in her place. "Excuse me," Rose began. Her tone was polite, but John could hear the steel underneath. "Has my husband given you permission to use his first name so informally with him?"

The woman blinked, taken aback by the fierceness in Rose's eyes.

"I thought not. Why don't you try to show at least a little class," she growled through clenched teeth, "and not flirt with married men?"

Rose pulled John over to an employee who had been watching the exchange with wide eyes. The man apologized profusely even after Rose and John both assured him he had nothing to apologize for. After getting her funds transferred into John's account, she started the process of selling her parents' home. Fortunately, the bank thought it would be more lucrative to buy the house from her, mark it up, and then sell it themselves, so Rose and John left the bank with a lot more money in their account and one less residence to worry about. With a spring in their step, the two headed home to grab an axe so they could chop down their Christmas tree.

"So, Mary, huh?"

John shot a confused look at Rose. "What? Who's Mary?"

"The bank manager's daughter, Mary Armstrong."

"I didn't know what her name was because I honestly didn't care," he admitted. "I'm sorry she tried to get to you like that, Rose."

Rose let go of his hand to lace her arm through his and link their hands together on top, the comforting gesture they had indulged in since their very first walk together. "What was that all about anyway? Why didn't you tell me about her?"

John sighed. "When I moved here and put my money in the bank, the bank manager decided I would be a good match for his daughter. The driving force to his match making was always greed. When I showed no interest in his talk about her, he started to bring her in on Fridays since that was the day I got paid and deposited my paycheck from the school. She's always been flirty, but I've never paid any attention and took care of my business and left. I never told you about her because she wasn't important. I had no interest in her and her interest in me was only due to the amount of money I have. That's certainly not the kind of person I want to have any sort of contact with."

Rose deflated in relief. "A little heads up might have been nice. I know you had no interest in her and I trust you. But I couldn't stand there and let her flirt like I wasn't even there. That was unbelievably rude."

Since they had reached the privacy of their back garden, John pulled Rose into an embrace. "Hopefully, that finally got through to her." He pulled back to speak to her. "You giving her a piece of your mind was…exciting." He gave her a smirk and a wink before capturing her lips in a heated kiss.

John pulled back after a few minutes and clapped his hands once to focus. They could return to that later. "Right! Enough talk about what's her name. Let's go find a Christmas tree!" He hefted the axe up onto his shoulder and started towards the woods behind their house with an exaggerated swagger, causing Rose to giggle.

She was grateful for his attempt at distraction and allowed his excited energy and sense of humor to sweep her along with him.

* * *

Rose and John stared at the tree that was occupying half of their living room and bending slightly at the top due to being too tall for the ceiling. They turned to look at each other at the same time and burst into peals of laughter.

"I didn't realize it was so big!" Rose gasped.

John swiped at his watering eyes. "It didn't look quite so majestic outside."

With some talented sawing from John, they managed to at least take care of the height problem. "Should we do something about it being too full?" John asked Rose.

She shrugged. "I don't see what we _could_ do for that." She circled it with her hands on her hips as she thought. "Oh well. You know what? It's almost Christmas and this will be a good story a few years from now. I say we leave it as is."

"Your wish is my command, milady." He went to put the saw and axe away while Rose pulled over the boxes of Christmas decorations so they could set up the tree.

After much pulling and stretching and reaching, they stepped back to admire their handiwork. John pulled Rose close and rested his cheek on the top of her head while they looked at the tree, watching various baubles shimmer from the light of the fireplace. "I'd say we did a pretty good job," Rose grinned.

"Not bad for a first Christmas tree between the two of us," John agreed. He moved to sit on the couch facing the tree and tugged on Rose's hand to get her to sit on his lap. "And now we can relax."

Rose cuddled into him. "Speak for yourself. I've got to get dinner started. Finally, we can have a home-cooked meal again." Despite her statement, she stayed right where she was until her stomach growled.

She gave an embarrassed giggled and lifted off John. "I guess that's my cue."

* * *

After three helpings of the stew Rose had prepared, John came to a disturbing conclusion. "I'm going to get fat."

Rose paused in picking up the dishes and raised an eyebrow at her husband. "What?"

He pouted at her. "Your cooking. It's too good and I'm going to just gorge myself every time we have a meal and then in just a few short years, I'll be enormous. Fat and happy. Well, maybe not happy. I mean you'll still be gorgeous and all the men will fall at your feet, trying to sway your attention away from your giant, gluttonous husband."

Rose rolled her eyes as she continued to clean up the dinner dishes. "Well, we'll just have to make sure you get plenty of exercise to keep that from happening." The sinful look she shot him, complete with a wink, left no doubt about what kind of activities she had in mind.

John laughed and wrapped his arms around her from behind while she filled the sink with water and dish soap. "I like how you think, love."

Rose turned to face him and looped her arms around his neck. "And even if you did get 'enormous', I'd still adore you and be entirely devoted to you."

John leaned in to kiss her, playfully nudging her nose with his before sealing their lips together.

* * *

As they washed dishes, Rose seemed to be lost in thought. John left her alone as he dried, letting her work through whatever was occupying her mind. "We need to go into London tomorrow."

John certainly didn't mind making the trip and he'd give her anything she asked for since she never asked for much, but he was curious about her motives. "Why?"

"I need to get you a Christmas present. And tomorrow is the last day the shops will be open."

John's eyes widened. "I didn't realize Christmas was that close! With the whirlwind of the wedding and the honeymoon, December just flew by!"

Rose nodded. "I know. Can you believe tomorrow we'll have been married for two weeks?"

John hummed happily as he dried the last dish and Rose let out the dishwater. "Two brilliant weeks." He wrapped his arms around her and sighed at the comfort of being in her arms and having her in his.

Rose answered his sigh with one of her own, before pulling back and sealing her lips to his.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

* * *

Rose shifted closer to John as they gazed up at the stars from the lawn of their back garden. As she looked at all the little twinkling lights above her, her thoughts turned to some of the books she had read. Greek mythology was filled with stories about the constellations being formed by various beings placing themselves or others there in the sky. Then there was Plato's _Cosmology,_ which declared each person's soul had a companion star they would return to if they lived a just life here on Earth. For just a fleeting moment, she allowed herself to believe her mother was up there, looking down on her and being thrilled at the happiness her only daughter had found. Rose smiled. Who knew? Maybe her mother _was_ up there, living on her companion star. After all, no one had died and then come back to say which belief was the correct one.

"Do you want to know what I told mum right before she passed?"

John looked over at Rose's whisper, worried he'd find his wife sad and crying. Instead, she was looking at the sky, a small smile playing around her lips. "If it's too personal and you don't want to tell me, you don't have to, Rose."

Rose's fingers laced with his as she looked at him. "There shouldn't be any secrets between spouses, John. I should be able to trust you with my deepest thoughts and you should feel the same trust for me."

Something about that called to John, a feeling that he should know Rose more intimately than anyone ever had or ever would. A feeling that he should know her mind and soul, as completely as he knew her face and touch. John just squeezed her fingers, wondering where this was coming from. "What did you tell her?"

"I told her I loved you," she locked eyes with him. "I told her that she didn't have to hold on if she was in too much pain. I told her I would miss her and love her, always. But I'd be strong and I'd get through it, just like she would have wanted me to. I told her she didn't have to worry about me being alone, because I had you and I was so deeply in love with you."

She rolled so she was lying on her side facing him and trailed the fingers of her free hand down his face, from his temple to his chin. "All Mum ever wanted was for me to be happy and I am so thankful that I get to be your wife. I don't know what I ever did that made me lucky enough to call you mine, but I'm incredibly grateful it happened. I still expect to wake up somedays and roll over to find out it was all a dream. I love you so much, John. It happened so quickly and so fiercely. Sometimes it scares me how much I love you. I didn't know it was possible to love someone this deeply and completely."

He rolled so that Rose was partially under him and lowered his lips to hers. His kiss was light and gentle, conveying his gratitude, his love, and his devotion. His lips glided against hers, pulling away and then coming back to repeat the action. "I love you, too. There aren't words adequate enough to express what I feel for you."

Rose smiled at him. "Do you ever get an ache in your stomach? Like you'll fall apart if you don't get to hold me?" she whispered, the quiet atmosphere too precious to be shattered with anything louder.

"All the time," John breathed.

"Good. Then I'm not the only one who feels that."

* * *

John woke up gasping the next morning. He hadn't dreamed he was the Doctor for a few weeks and thought maybe the sometimes wondrous and sometimes terrifying images were leaving him alone. But as he sat trying to catch his breath, he realized the dreams weren't done with him yet. He yanked his journal out from his bedside table and hurriedly began to capture the images and story before it faded completely.

By the time he'd finished, Rose had woken up, placed a kiss on his forehead that he barely registered as he worked, and started breakfast. As he walked out of the room, Rose looked over with concern. "I haven't seen you write in your journal in ages. Dreaming of the Doctor, again?"

John nodded and continued towards her, needing to feel her in his arms. There was a touch of desperation in his embrace and Rose answered it with her own arms holding him closer. "Want to talk about it?"

As her hands smoothed over his back, John felt the tension ease out of him and stepped back with a sigh. "We were servants in this massive house. I was wearing a tuxedo, slightly different than today's tuxedos, and you had this short, black dress on." He put his journal on the dining table and showed her the sketch of her in a maid outfit and him in a tuxedo. "Suddenly, the house was surrounded by these metal men." He pointed to another new sketch, this one of humanoid metal creatures. "We were trying to escape but we were completely surrounded. They were closing in from every side and I didn't know what to do." He shuddered and Rose wrapped her arms around his waist. "That's when I woke up."

Rose rubbed her hands over his back and stretched up to kiss his jaw. "Just dreams, John. You're safe and I'm safe. We are safe. In this little, sleepy, boring village we live in."

John blew out a breath and tightened his hold before stepping back. "I know. They just feel so real sometimes. And the ones where you're in danger always set me off balance."

"At the moment, the only thing I'm in danger of is letting our breakfast get cold while I prepare our tea. Unless of course the best husband ever helps me out?" She batted her eyelashes outlandishly and John huffed a laugh.

"Can't have that now, can we? Best husband ever to the rescue!" The last bit of anxiety from the dream ceased as he and Rose bantered while making breakfast. He was enormously grateful for this woman who could take him from despair to laughing with a few words and light caresses.

* * *

The carriage ride into London was filled with a comfortable silence as each tried to figure out what the other may want for Christmas. John had been staring out the window, racking his brain. Recent inventions for household use flew through his mind. He didn't really want to get Rose an _appliance_ for Christmas, but as London grew closer and he had no ideas, he began to get desperate. She had an iron and even a vacuum cleaner, which he suspected Jackie had scrimped and saved to buy. Recently, there had been a couple of breakthrough inventions including a refrigerator for home use and an electric dishwasher. He could probably afford those for her, but she would certainly object, saying it was too expensive and unnecessary. He thought about buying her an electric toaster, but she had expressed skepticism about its usefulness already.

" _If you have to turn it over anyway, why not just continue making it in a pan on the stovetop like I do?"_

She had a valid point, he had to concede.

Rose was in a similar state of indecision. The only thing she kept thinking of was paints. But she knew very little about painting and wasn't sure what would be useful or of good quality for John. Plus, it was so generic. Anybody who knew about his talent could get him a set of paints for Christmas. She wanted to get him something special, something meaningful that no one else would either know to get him or would think to get him. As she stared out her window, her gaze lifted above the tree line and as she watched a few clouds float by, she had her answer. She fought to contain her excitement and not smile too widely as they pulled into London.

John got out in one of the busier shopping districts and expected Rose to follow, but she stayed put. "I need to head a little farther in the carriage. I'll be back soon."

A pit of nerves formed in his stomach. He hated to let Rose out of his sight in a city like London, big enough that danger could be lurking in any corner. But their carriage driver, William, poked his head around so he could see John. "Don't worry, Mr. Tyler! I'll make sure the missus is safe!"

John nodded and breathed a sigh as the carriage rolled out of sight. He had gotten to know William fairly well since his move to Farringham and knew he could trust the man to protect Rose if it was needed. He wished he had brought Jack along with them. Not only would he have been able to send his capable friend along as added protection for Rose, but he could have given John some gift advice. He turned to stroll along the street, hoping something would catch his eye.

* * *

Rose hopped out at her destination. "Give me just a minute! It shouldn't take long," she called up to William – who was in the middle of getting down to open her door – and hurried into the Royal Observatory in Greenwich to plan and purchase tickets for various attractions.

She came back out empty-handed and William looked at her in concern. "Didn't find what you were looking for?"

Rose smiled back and patted her handbag. "Got it."

She climbed into the carriage and they started their journey back into the shopping area where they had left John.

* * *

John took in each window display with hopeful eyes, but nothing was jumping out at him. He dismissed the jewelry store quickly. He had just purchased wedding rings for himself and Rose, and while he wasn't averse to giving her jewelry, it seemed impersonal after exchanging something so symbolic as wedding rings.

He passed the bookstore. He knew Rose loved to read, but with an entire library at her disposal and all of their combined books at home, he wasn't sure what he would get her.

As he turned the corner, a dress in a display window caught his eye. He loved watching Rose when she dressed up, the way the insecurity in her eyes would be replaced with happiness and a pleased flush would grace her cheeks with his compliments. He always thought she was beautiful and he loved those times when she believed it, when a beautiful gown helped her see herself the way he saw her. This gown he was looking at now would leave no doubt in her mind of how exquisite she was. And if he was being 100% honest with himself, the gift was just a tad selfish. He wanted to see her in the glittering gown before him so much he almost couldn't stand it. He wasted no more time staring at the dress in awe and hurried in to make his purchase.

* * *

As the carriage pulled up to the spot they had dropped John off at, Rose found him standing there with a bag in hand and a proud grin on his face. As he bounded into the carriage with her, Rose grinned back. "You look pleased. Successful trip?"

John shook his finger at her and tutted. "Now, now, Rose. No snooping, trying to find out what your present may be."

Rose held up her hands in surrender. "Not snooping. Just asking about your journey." She saw John's eyes rove over the carriage, trying to spot a parcel containing his present, and smirked. "Don't worry. I have your present."

John flushed at being caught and sniffed. "I'm not worried."

* * *

John watched Rose wide-eyed as she baked up a storm that evening. Her cheeks were flushed, her hair was a complete mess and her apron was covered in flour. She was absolutely radiant and he adored her. "How many cakes and cookies and muffins do you plan on making?!"

Every surface in their small kitchen was covered. One counter was covered by trays full of cooling cookies, another was littered with various measuring instruments and ingredients, another had a bowl of batter and a cake pan waiting to be filled and Rose was currently pulling muffins that smelled of cinnamon from the oven. He wasn't sure where she thought that would go, but she easily shuffled the batter and cake pan to the side so she could set the muffins down. She filled the waiting cake pan with the batter and set that into the oven, glancing at the clock in the living room before answering. "Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. Mum and I would always take some treats to our friends and neighbors and then deliver a couple cakes to the church for their Christmas dinner for the homeless. Mum may not be here this year, but I can still carry on the traditions."

John smiled softly and pushed off from the doorway, where he had been standing and looking utterly delicious with his hands in his pockets and his shirtsleeves rolled up. "Can I help?"

Rose had the sudden urge to rumple him up more, but controlled herself. After all, she had the church cakes to finish before her marathon baking session was complete.

* * *

John and Rose walked through the village on Christmas Eve. The cakes had been delivered to the church. Muffins and cookies had been passed out to several friends and acquaintances and the large basket they had been carrying them all in no longer felt like it was going to pull John's arm into the ground. As they finished their rounds, Rose started to head for the school. "Where are we going?"

"I made cookies for Jack, as well." She started to chew her lip with a thoughtful expression on her face. "John," she began slowly, "does Jack have any family to spend the holiday with? I mean, he moved here with you and if he did have family, he would have left already, right?"

John sighed. "Jack doesn't get on with his family. When we were kids, he'd come over to my house most of the time, complaining about his parents. As we got older, he spent a lot of time with his uncle, but even that relationship became strained as it became apparent Jack just wasn't interested in settling down. The family said it was disgraceful and sinful, so Jack cut them off and never looked back."

"Would you mind if we invited him over for dinner? I mean, I know it's our first Christmas together, but no one should be alone for the holiday. And the thought of Jack just having a sandwich or something from the kitchens, alone, breaks my heart."

John sent a smile Rose's way, proud of the compassionate woman walking next to him. "Of course. He and I have been friends for ages, so he's practically family, anyway."

* * *

Jack opened his door, glad he had decided to actually put clothes on for the day. The idea of lounging in his warm bed all day, sans clothes, had been tempting. "Hello, Rosie and John! Come on in."

As they stepped into the room, Rose dutifully kept her eyes away from the floor, trying to ignore the clothes littered everywhere. John rolled his eyes before lightly scolding his friend. "For heaven's sake, Jack! Would it kill you to at least aim for the laundry basket?"

Jack shrugged, unconcerned. "What brings you two lovely people here on Christmas Eve?"

Rose passed him the cookies that were still in the basket. "This, for starters."

Jack whistled after sniffing the cookies. "These smell like they're going to be delicious. Thank you, Rosie!"

"We also wanted to invite you to Christmas dinner," John explained.

Jack smiled slightly. "I can't intrude on your first Christmas together."

John waved a dismissive hand. "Jack, you and I have been friends for as long as I can remember. And Rose insists."

Jack looked back and forth between his friends. John looked impassive, but Rose had a slightly pleading expression on her face and her hands clasped in front of her. "Oh, fine. I'll be there," he groused, like he was conceding a great argument.

Rose gave a little cheer. "Wonderful! We'll see you tomorrow sometime around noon."

Jack shook his head as the two left his room. Rose was certainly perfect for John, and he had a strong feeling she'd be perfect for the Doctor. Hopefully, when the Doctor returned, he'd agree and not ruin the romance that had unfolded.

* * *

Rose snuggled closer to John as they took another trip through the village that evening. Shiny decorations caught the light from candles and fairy lights, causing them to glimmer and glow throughout the village. Home windows were open, allowing people to view the Christmas trees within and letting the warm, golden light from inside spill into the streets.

"It's so magical on Christmas Eve," Rose sighed as they passed a larger house, seeing the family inside enjoying the fireplace while a massive tree glittered in a corner.

Seeing his wife so happily taking in the atmosphere and sights of Christmas Eve caused John to change his opinion of the best holiday. "Okay, you win," he said.

Rose just arched a brow at him. "I wasn't aware we were playing a game."

"On our very first stroll, I said Christmas was the best holiday. You, my precious girl, told me Christmas Eve was the best. I think you were right. You win." He poked her in the side and she squealed, then immediately clapped a hand over her mouth like she was shocked she made the noise. John laughed at her wide-eyed expression, feeling his love for her expand even more.

They finally made it home and Rose sighed as she shucked her coat and gloves, immediately heading to the fireplace to throw on another log and bring the fire back to life. Once the log caught and flames began spreading across the wood, she turned to find John standing a few feet behind her with his hands held out to her.

She took his hands with a grin, wondering what her silly husband was up to. He started to lead her in an easy dance around the giant Christmas tree that dominated their living room. "Wait!" He exclaimed. He spun over to the phonograph that had come with him when they moved into their home and quickly made a selection. Christmas carols began to softly play in the room and Rose grinned as he made his way back to her and resumed their dance.

"There's no lyrics."

"Hmm?"

Rose lifted her head from its spot on his shoulder. "The songs. There are supposed to be lyrics, but there aren't any playing."

John shook his head. "This is just the music, I'm afraid." He spun her out and back into him playfully, grinning widely at her delighted giggles. "We could always sing them ourselves." As he said it, he realized he had never heard Rose sing. She would hum sometimes as she cooked or cleaned. He could see her silently mouthing the words as they passed carolers on the streets during their honeymoon. But he had never heard her sing.

Rose flushed. "Oh. Um, I suppose we could."

"You're uncomfortable with it. Why won't you sing, Rose?" John tried to catch her eye, but she was looking at the tree as they continued to twirl around it.

"I don't think I have a very good singing voice is all." She finally looked at him with a sheepish expression.

John laughed. "Mine's rubbish, but I'll sing for you." He began to sing as the music for "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" started playing.

Rose took a second to be stunned by John's voice. It wasn't rubbish at all. She took a second to soak in his singing and let it soothe her before she gathered her courage. She had never felt as safe as she did with John, so she opened her mouth and joined in, her voice an octave higher than his with a softer, breathier, sweeter sound.

John stumbled over the lyrics when Rose joined in. Her singing voice was beautiful and he had no idea how she could have ever thought it wasn't good. He wanted to stop singing and just listen to her, but knew she would quit if he did. So, he continued to sing with her, lowering the volume of his voice so the two sounds twisted and twirled together into something special.

Several songs later, Rose giggled and stumbled into him. She was breathless and a little sweaty from dancing. "No more dancing! As much as I love being in your arms, I'm exhausted."

John went over to the bookcase as Rose collapsed onto the couch. He pulled a thin book from the shelves and set it in Rose's lap, picked her up, and positioned her on his lap the way they both loved to sit. He picked the book back up and waved it in front of Rose. " _A Christmas Carol_? What do you think?"

"Of course!" Rose watched John open the book and debated on where to put her head. She usually tucked her head into his neck, breathing him in and feeling his warmth. But she wanted to watch him read, to see his lips form the words and watch his brown eyes rove across the pages. The desire to kiss him hit hard and she realized if they were going to get through the book, which she really wanted to do, then she couldn't watch him read. With a contented sigh, she cuddled into him and let his voice wash over her.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

* * *

John woke up feeling a pair of soft lips pressed to his. Still only half-aware, he returned the pressure before opening his eyes to see Rose smiling softly at him. "Happy Christmas, John."

He reached an arm out and pulled Rose into him, sighing happily when her warmth was against his chest. "Happy Christmas, Rose."

She poked him in the side. "We need to get up, love."

"But Roooooose, why?" The whine in that statement would have been more expected coming from a child and Rose rolled her eyes even as it made her grin.

"It's Christmas. I know neither one of us is much for going to church. But I think it's sort of required on Christmas. At least, if we don't want to be seen as heathens and made into outcasts."

John groaned in protest, but obediently sat up. She was right, of course.

Rose ran her hands through his hair to try and tame the strands that were sticking straight up. When John gave a half-sigh/half-groan, she dropped her hands and tried to ignore the heat the sound sent through her. "I'll get breakfast started while you get dressed."

John snagged her waist and pulled her close. "You could get dressed with me."

"Yes, because that worked so well the last few times we tried that," she replied sarcastically.

John gave her a wicked grin. "I thought it went brilliantly."

Rose kissed his forehead before pulling out of his hold. "Oh, it _was_ brilliant," she enthused. "But today, we have somewhere to be so behave yourself."

* * *

Rose managed to get herself and John to church on time, though her husband seemed determined to keep that from happening. Between the teasing touches and stolen kisses before leaving, and the lingering looks, smirks, winks, and grins he sent her throughout the service, Rose was about to explode by the time they got home. She managed to get the goose in the oven before grabbing a grinning John's hand and dragging him into the bedroom.

"You better make this quick, John Tyler! Jack's supposed to be here in an hour."

* * *

Rose put her apron back on almost an hour later while John tried to make his rumpled suit coat look more presentable. "Why don't you just go without it, love? We're at home and you've known Jack forever."

With a sigh, John hung his coat up and grinned as he looked over at Rose. Her cheeks were still flushed and she had yet to fix her hair. She looked absolutely tumbled and John felt a bit of pride in that. He stepped up to her and kissed her deeply, not letting up until Rose whimpered and clutched the back of his shirt in her hands. "We'll have to do this again tonight. Slower," he rasped into her ear.

Rose pushed him away, knowing if she let him continue they'd leave Jack to his own devices and spend the entire day in bed. A knock at the door rescued her from anymore advances from her irresistible husband. "Will you get that? I still need to do something about my hair."

John kissed the back of her hand and then went to let Jack in.

* * *

John was blushing as Jack recounted an adventure they had as young teens. "And then, these girls decided I wasn't wearing the right clothes, so what did they do? They stole my clothes! By force, Rosie!"

Rose was gasping for breath, a mixture of amused and embarrassed laughter tumbling from her lips. "What did you do?"

"They eventually left, so I grabbed some clothes they had in the room. They weren't the greatest clothes in the world, but at least I was covered." Jack wasn't about to tell the sweet wife of the Doctor's human counterpart that he shot the robots that made his clothes disappear while on a space station. Being carted off as an insane man would be sure to follow and that wasn't how he wanted to spend his Christmas, thanks. He paused since he wasn't really sure how to explain the Doctor's whereabouts and how the story ended without talking about things that weren't understood in this time period. But a story where he ended up naked at one point was how he operated, so he just left it there.

Rose got her laughter under control. "And where were you the whole time that poor Jack was being accosted?"

John blushed and mumbled something causing Rose and Jack to share an amused smile. "What was that, love?"

John looked at the table, refusing to meet their eyes. "I got locked in a closet. I don't remember how I got there, but I remember waking up and yelling for someone to let me out. Finally, Jack showed up."

Rose collapsed into more giggles. That was the third story Jack had told that involved him being naked at some point. "You two must have been a handful as kids!" A thought struck her and she looked at Jack oddly. "If you and John have been friends almost your whole lives, why do you have an American accent?"

Jack had a split-second of panic. He hadn't even thought about his accent and their cover stories too closely, worried as he had been this whole time about the love growing between John and Rose. "Travel!" He quickly tried to remember all he could about sea travel during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries as he continued, hoping multiple trips between Great Britain and the United States would be feasible in this time period. "My whole family was American. But my father and uncle wanted to come to England and start a business here. Since the rest of the family was still in America, we travelled all the time. Back and forth between here and there. With the repeated visits back home, my accent never faded."

Rose nodded and accepted his explanation. Jack let out a breath of relief as the conversation meandered to less complicated topics.

* * *

The evening wore on pleasantly. The three traded stories from their childhoods and joked with each other as they played rounds of chess and cards and nibbled on the cookies Rose had baked. Just before sunset, Jack stood and stretched. "Well, I think it's time I headed home. Thank you for inviting me. I had a lovely time." He shook John's hand and gave Rose's hand a friendly pat. "And Rosie, you're welcome to feed me anytime. That lunch was unbelievably delicious!""

Rose smiled and flushed slightly at the compliment. "Happy Christmas, Jack."

"Happy Christmas, Rosie! You too, John!"

Once he was gone, Rose sat on the couch and instead of sitting normally, John laid down, placing his head in her lap. Rose decided she liked this new position as she trailed one hand through John's hair and let the other rub across his shoulders and back.

John let out a pleased sigh at the comforting caresses from Rose. "You were brilliant today, love."

"What did I do?"

"Handling all the cooking and the cleaning. Still making time to relax with Jack and me." He shifted onto his back so he could look up at her and trace his knuckles down one cheek. "I've said it before and I'm sure I'll say it again, I don't know how you have time to do all the things you do."

Rose hummed noncommittally and continued to run her hands through John's hair, starting at his forehead and letting her nails scratch lightly as she pushed her hand back to the crown of his head. His eyes fluttered closed and Rose leaned forward to kiss him softly. His hand shot up to the back of her head when she pulled away, trying to bring her back down to him. "I want to get your present, John," she grinned at him.

John let his hand trail from the back of head down over the front of her dress, groping a breast teasingly as he passed her chest. "Can't _you_ be my present?"

She swatted his hand away with a laugh. "Let me get up, please."

John sat up and leaned over to pluck a package from under the tree. "I suppose I should give you your gift as well."

Rose held a small, flat box out to him. "You first."

Despite his reluctance to get up earlier, his excitement was evident as he quickly tore the wrapping off his gift. When he saw tickets to the Royal Observatory, his face lit up in a wide smile. "Rose, these are brilliant! We can go look at the stars through their telescope and visit the Prime Meridian. This is wonderful! Thank you!" He wrapped her in an embrace and placed a quick kiss to her lips. "Now your turn."

Rose took the box from John. "Oh, it's heavy." She carefully unwrapped it and lifted the lid. As she peeled back the tissue paper inside, her breath caught when she saw the fine fabric. "Oh, John," she breathed. "This is…," she ran a trembling hand over the detailed bead work and soft silk. "It's beautiful." She stood as she pulled it from the box so she could see the full gown. She gently set it aside and pulled John into a kiss that made his toes curl and his breath stutter.

"Come on," she said as she tugged on his hand and led him into the bedroom.

* * *

A boneless, sweaty, and very satisfied John let his thoughts wander as Rose slept peacefully against his chest. The gown he had purchased for her couldn't really be worn anywhere. He would need to take her someplace special. As his thoughts tumbled over where a dress like that would be required, he got stuck on the opera. He wasn't sure if Rose liked opera and he wasn't much of a fan, but the image of her in that gown, situated in one of the plush seats of an opera house, pleased him greatly. While they shopped in London a couple days ago, he had seen a sign advertising a new show that would be opening after the first of the year at Sadler's Wells Opera house. If he could sneak away for a few minutes, he could run to the school and use their telephone to make the plans.

His eyes drifted to the gown hanging in their closet. It really was a marvelous piece of work. Ivory lace created short sleeves that had glittering gold embellishments along the sides and bottoms, the panel covering her chest was made of the same ivory lace with a shining gold piece in the center. The skirt and small train were various shades of seafoam green, sheer with a gold underskirt beneath it, and had the same glittering gold embellishments mixed with blue ones along the bottom. And coming from her shoulders, a sparkling fabric of blue with a few large golden flowers came to meet at her waist and then flowed down on both sides, tapering off into tassels at the bottom of the skirt. It had cost a small fortune, and John would pay that a million times over to see Rose wearing it.

He settled down to sleep, imagining Rose in the gown and the evening out they could have.

* * *

Jack was restless. For almost two months, he had been stranded here looking after a human version of the Doctor. For almost two months, he was sure he had pretty well failed. Rose was magnificent, and it was obvious John worshipped the ground she walked on. Jack just hoped the Doctor adored her as much as John. Two months with all that stress and Jack avoiding the pleasure house nearby because, to quote the previous Doctor, 'you can't go knockin' up the natives, Jack.' He was about to go spare. He needed a new planet, a new time period, new faces, a civilization where he could unleash all his pent-up energy because they had birth control.

With a groan of frustration, he flopped back on his bed and stared out the window. A flash of green light caught his eye and he was simultaneously elated to have something to do and heartbroken that he couldn't give Rose and John more time to live in blissful ignorance. He pulled on his coat and hurried out the door to investigate the phenomenon.

When he got to the spot he figured the object had landed, he didn't see anything, but he could feel it. There was a strange frequency here, a thickness and heat that the air didn't have until he had reached the seemingly empty field. He took a few readings with the sonic screwdriver that had been in his possession since this whole ordeal began and raced to the TARDIS.

Her pitch had changed from the soothing tones of a few days ago to the slightly tense hum that she seemed to get whenever danger was near. That fact only made the rock lodged in Jack's stomach heavier. If their time here was nearing its end, that was fine. He just hoped it wasn't the end of Rose's time with them.

He placed the sonic in the port the Doctor had shown him and watched as Gallifreyan symbols scrolled across the screen. Seconds later, they wavered and reformed into English. "Damn, they did find us. Still, it took them almost two months just to do that. We can wait it out, right? One more month before they die?"

The TARIDS's hum was negative. Desperate aliens were more dangerous than ones who had time to plan and discuss a course of action. Jack cursed and ran his hands over his face. He would wait as long as possible, but it was almost time to get the Doctor back.


	21. Chapter 21

I just can't seem to stop posting! I'm finding myself as excited to finish this as you guys seem to be. And I KNOW what happens! I wrote the dang thing!

I created a tumblr, literally minutes ago, so you could see the pictures if you wanted. (Never say I don't love you!) That's all that's there for now. I'll figure out how to fix it all up later. So, if you want to know how dresses looked, or their rings, go take a peek. Someone already had my name, so I'm creirdyddlyddthings over there.

NSFW

* * *

Chapter 21

* * *

John practically bounced in the carriage as he and Rose made their way into London. They were headed to the Royal Observatory to use John's Christmas present and he was excited. Very excited. And Rose was grateful for it.

After receiving the incredible gown from John, she felt her gift wasn't enough. But seeing his almost child-like enthusiasm and genuine joy as they headed to their destination, she relaxed. Apparently, choosing a gift that dealt with his love for the stars was a good idea.

As they pulled up to the observatory, she had to slow him down with a laugh so he didn't drag her out of the carriage in his haste to explore. Wandering through the observatory, she fell even more in love with him as his eyes lit up and his grin widened at different points. She knew John was intelligent, brilliant even, possibly a genius. 'Possibly a genius' became 'definitely a genius' as she listened with rapt attention while he lectured her about various items they saw or displays that were set up.

As they took their turns looking through the observatory's telescope, John began to talk about some of his dreams as the Doctor. He would tell her where different stars or planets were located in his dreams or describe them with such beautiful clarity that her eyes began to mist over, wishing that this Doctor was a real man, just so John could have one adventure with him and could see what existed out there.

* * *

On Friday, John grabbed Rose's hips after breakfast and rested his forehead against hers. "I'm going to take you somewhere tonight," he whispered.

Excitement shot through Rose. Every time John had taken her somewhere, she had loved it. She loved the adventurous streak in him that complemented the adventurous streak in her. "Where?"

"I don't want to say, yet. But I will tell you, wear your new dress."

Her excitement skyrocketed. She desperately wanted to wear the lovely gown John had given her, but had needed an occasion that was worthy of it.

That evening, Rose curled her hair and pulled the ringlets to the top of her head, leaving the shorter ones to frame her face, much as she had done on her first date with John. She applied just a touch of lip color and then dressed in the gown, feeling her heart accelerate in anticipation of John's reaction.

When she emerged from the bedroom, John immediately jumped up from his spot on the couch, but then froze, eyes widening as they swept over her. "Oh, Rose." He walked over slowly, almost as if he thought she would vanish if he moved too quickly. He ghosted a hand along the exposed expanse of skin at the back of her neck and around to the front, sliding down along her throat and her chest until he was stopped by the top of her gown. He looked back up into her eyes. "You are beautiful, love."

* * *

During dinner, the envious looks men were sending John's way caused him to push the boundaries of what was acceptable displays of affection. With so many men practically drooling over his wife, he wanted to make sure she was completely attuned to him.

Rose knew what he was doing, but couldn't have cared less, since she wanted to do the same thing as women sent flirtatious glances at her husband.

As they got ready to leave the very upscale restaurant, Rose laced her arm with John's, shooting him a beaming smile. An older gentleman caught John's gaze as they reached the door and shot him a thumbs-up. John smiled back, wondering if his observant wife had caught the gesture. A few steps down the sidewalk, Rose burst into giggles and John joined her. "I take it he approved of the dress," Rose surmised as they headed towards the opera house.

John nuzzled her temple and whispered in her ear. "I don't think it was _just_ the dress he approved of, love."

* * *

Neither one of them enjoyed the opera too much. But John did get to see Rose sitting in one of the plush, red chairs in the opera house, and the reality was better than the image he had conjured in his head. And even though they didn't like the opera itself, they did have fun making faces at each other during the performance and complaining quietly during intermission.

And when they got home, they tumbled into bed, giggling as they quoted cheesy lyrics from the opera to each other. Rose figured it was probably a very strange sort of seduction, but it worked, the giggles not fading until John slid into her and both of their giggles shifted into gasps of pleasure.

* * *

Rose took a deep breath of her library in the school. It had been a month since she had been here and while that month was the best of her life, she was a little relieved to be back. Real life made that magical month all the more special and just cemented the fact that she was married to the most wonderful man she had ever met. There were no books to be re-shelved and she made a mental note to thank Timothy Latimer when she saw him later. She took up a rag to polish her front counter and smiled at the Matron when she entered.

"Good morning, Matron! Did you enjoy your holiday?"

"Yes, thank you. How was yours?" The Matron's smile was polite, but Rose knew the conversations they used to have were over. The nurse seemed unwilling to move past John, and Rose was through worrying about her.

"Oh, it was wonderful," Rose replied, unable to keep the dreamlike quality out of her voice as she remembered Barcelona and their quick tour of France. Without thinking about it, she reached up to push an errant lock of hair behind her ear with her left hand and heard a sharp gasp from the nurse.

"You…," it came out accusing and the older woman stopped, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. With a calmer voice, she tried again. "You got engaged?"

Rose held her hand out to show the two rings. "Married, actually. John proposed after the village dance and we left immediately to get married in Barcelona."

Joan's mouth worked soundlessly for a moment, and Rose saw the instant the other woman realized she would never win John over. "Congratulations on your wedding, Miss…well, I guess it's Mrs. Tyler, now."

Rose gave her a warm smile. "Thank you."

* * *

Throughout the morning, Rose was swamped with well-wishers congratulating her on her nuptials and expressing their desire for her and John to have a happy life together. It was a much happier affair than when they were expressing their condolences about her mother, but she was still relieved when it was over. Hearing the same sentiments repeatedly made them lose some of their meaning.

Jack came by during his free period, waving in a large over the top motion when he was still at the other end of the hall, long before he reached the library. He came to stand in front of Rose, continuing his gesture with a goofy grin on his face and Rose just arched an eyebrow at him. "Hiiiiiiii, Rosiiiiiiiie!" he sing-songed at her.

Rose gave into the twitching in the corners of her lips and let an amused smile spread across her face. "Hello, Jack. How are you today?"

Truthfully, Jack was a wreck. He'd barely slept in over a week. It had been eleven days since he had seen the green light in the sky and there had been no movement that he could see from the Family.

By Jack's calculations, he and the Doctor had been here for seventy days. They had been employed with the Farringham school for sixty-three days and had been here for seven before they began teaching. In just three weeks, they would be free of the Family, but even if that happened, it would be a hollow victory. John would still need to become the Doctor again, leaving Rose's future in limbo.

Not wanting to worry the young woman in front of him, he just continued to grin. "Great. It's good to get back and see the students again. What about you? Relieved to be back in your library?"

Rose mulled it over. "Yes and no, I guess. I mean I've taken care of the library for so long that it's almost like a second home. And it's better to work instead of sitting at home all day with nothing to do, just waiting for John to come home. But at the same time, I'm sad the vacation is over. I'll miss being able to spend all my time with him."

Jack had the urge to waggle his eyebrows and say, 'I bet you do', but bit it back. In this period, that statement would not go over well. Instead he gave a more appropriate response. "I understand. It must have been nice to have all that time together."

Rose nodded. "Oh well. Back to real life and seeing him in the evenings, I guess. Well, mornings, too, but those are so busy that we only have a few minutes to talk over breakfast." Rose looked closely at Jack and noticed the dark circles under his eyes. "Are you sure you're alright, Jack? You look exhausted."

Jack just shot another smile at her. "Bit of insomnia, but it'll pass. It comes and goes. Probably just the anticipation of school starting back up again."

"Well, try to get some rest tonight. You're no good to those boys if you're too tired to teach," she scolded gently and shook her finger at him.

"Yes, ma'am." Jack flicked a salute, much like John had done one morning and Rose grinned at the memory.

* * *

Timothy Latimer came into the library smiling brightly at Rose. "Hello, Miss-es Tyler." He had just barely caught himself before calling her 'Miss Tyler'. "Did you enjoy your holiday?"

Rose returned his smile. "Yes, thank you for asking, and thank you for taking care of the library in my absence. And since you called me 'Mrs.', I'm guessing you heard from Mr. Tyler that we got married."

Tim laughed. "He announced it. But he was blushing his way through it and trying to be factual and not show how absolutely giddy he is about the whole thing." He shook his head at her. "He didn't hide it very well."

Rose blushed at the information and changed the subject. "Did you have a nice break from school?"

"It was nice to see my family, but I was ready to come back to school." He didn't miss school itself, but the watch had been getting more talkative, more restless, and it put Tim on edge. He was worried for the sweet librarian and the kind teacher who were married, now. The watch kept mentioning danger and that the Time Lord needed to return soon. He wasn't sure what would happen when John Tyler became the Doctor again, but he hoped it wouldn't be all bad. And if Mrs. Tyler was the one in danger, then Timothy Latimer would do everything he could to protect her.

* * *

As John and Rose walked home that afternoon, he tried to brush off the sense of unease rolling over him. It wasn't anything he could pinpoint, just a general sense of wariness, like something was coming coupled with a sense of urgency. But he wasn't sure what he needed to do before whatever was coming happened.

He went through the evening as he normally would, grading papers until Rose had finished dinner. He spent some time reading to Rose while she was perched in his lap, treasuring her proximity and allowing her presence to wash away the uncomfortable feelings from earlier.

As she nestled her head in his neck, he felt her lips begin moving over his skin, gentle suction, a tiny flick of her tongue, and his breath hitched as he stumbled over his words. Deciding he didn't need the book – since he had Shakespeare's sonnets memorized – he set it on the table and continued to recite them as his lips made circuits around Rose's face. He continued reciting as his hands wandered, thumbs brushing over her breasts, trying to tease the nipples into peaks through the layers of clothing.

Rose's breathing grew heavier the more John concentrated on her breasts, driving her embarrassingly close to the edge from that attention alone. His hand slid down to fiddle with the bottom of her skirts and then his hand slid up underneath, rubbing and grinding against her most intimate place without undressing her. The illicit nature of the activities just drove Rose's arousal higher until she was silently wishing for John to lose control and take her. Hoping to achieve that outcome, she palmed his length through his trousers, relieved to find him hard and ready. As her hand mapped his length, he pushed into her touch with a moan.

That sense of urgency from earlier in the afternoon was creeping up on him again, causing him to hurry his movements, feeling like he needed to touch every part of Rose as quickly as possible. He stood and made quick work of the dress Rose wore for work and helped her get his clothes off. Rose met his frantic kiss with equal fervor and arched her hips into his as soon as they were both undressed.

John tried to slow down, tried to savor her touches, the taste of her skin. But he needed her too desperately and it seemed Rose was in a similar state. He plunged a finger into her to test her readiness, groaning at the wetness he found and the feeling of her walls already fluttering around him. They weren't going to make it to the bedroom. He surveyed their surroundings, looking for the best place for them to continue. A flash of inspiration hit and he realized the back of the couch was the perfect height. He lifted Rose so that she was sitting on the back of the couch, facing him as he stood behind it. "Rose, are you ready?"

"Please, John," she gasped, panting into his ear.

With a grunt, he slid into her all the way, adding a grind to her clit with his pelvis. Rose shattered, having been so worked up already. He groaned as she clenched around him, resisting the urge to thrust only through a great force of will. He allowed her a few seconds to calm down and adjust to his size before pulling back a little and thrusting back in. The sound Rose let out at the action spurred him on and before long, he was pounding into her.

The sounds of flesh meeting over and over accompanied their sighs and moans as they strived toward completion. John couldn't keep his hands still, trying to feel every piece of Rose he could, frantically running his hands over her thighs, squeezing her backside, flicking her clit, grasping her breasts, and sliding his hand into her hair while he kissed her deeply, before pulling back and making the journey all over again.

Rose was in the same condition. She didn't know what was wrong with John, but she knew something was bothering him. So, she did the only thing she could and met his passion with her own. It wasn't difficult. Touching John and having him touch her was an experience she would never tire of. She made her own trips around his body with her touch, the slight tug to his hair that would make him almost growl, kneading into his shoulders before brushing her thumbs over his nipples, sliding her hands around to his back to feel those muscles flexing and relaxing, and then clutching his bum, repeating the actions over and over.

It wouldn't be long before he and Rose peaked. John could feel it coming for both of them. Rose's walls were fluttering again and her sounds were getting closer to that high-pitched whimper that he loved to hear. He could feel the tell-tale heat gathering at the base of his spine. It began to radiate outward and he felt everything tighten, readying for the burst of pleasure.

He caught Rose's mouth in a kiss as she started to whimper, wanting to catch the sound in his mouth and give her his groans in return. As the pleasure rushed through them both, his legs gave out and he crumpled to the floor, managing to stay inside Rose as he pulled her down with him.

His sense of urgency hadn't faded, but it had morphed into a different kind of urgency. He clutched Rose tightly, muttering 'I love you' over and over into her hair.

Rose returned the embrace, answering his mutterings and trying to calm him with small kisses to the side of his face and gently combing her fingers through the back of his hair. She was starting to worry, so she managed to pull back and the panic in his eyes made her heart clench. "What's wrong, love?"

"I – I don't know. I just feel uneasy, like something's about to happen."

Rose cupped his cheek and placed a tender kiss to his lips. "John, whatever it is, I'm still here for you. I love you. We said 'forever' as part of our wedding vows and I'm not going back on that. If anything is coming, when it gets here, we'll overcome it together."

John pulled her close again, letting the sincerity and certainty of her words soothe him. "I love you, Rose. So very much. Forever."

Rose smiled and placed a small kiss to his neck. "I love you, too. Forever."


	22. Chapter 22

This one gets a little bit angsty. Just wanted to give you a fair warning.

Latimer's description of the Doctor is taken directly from "The Family of Blood". Probably one of my favorite parts ever.

NSFW.

* * *

Chapter 22

* * *

John woke up before the sun rose, feeling like whatever was coming, was there. He itched to take Rose's hand and run, just run away from the school and this tiny village to somewhere far away and safe. He knew he couldn't do that, but the urge to do so was strong. He glanced at the clock, noticing he and Rose had two hours before they had to start getting ready for the day. Well, if whatever was coming was there already, he was going to make today count.

With an impish grin, he slid under the covers and positioned himself between Rose's legs. With the first two flicks of his tongue, he heard Rose's voice. "J-John?"

She sounded slightly worried, so he lifted the sheets and winked at her. "Good morning, my love."

"What are…," her words trailed off on a moan as he swiped his tongue along her slit and then delved in for a deeper taste.

He worked with his lips and tongue and fingers and within a few short minutes, Rose's hands were pulling his hair slightly as she flew apart. He worked her through it before crawling back up to lay beside her. "That was quite the way to wake up," she sighed.

John moved in to place suckling kisses along her neck and shoulders. "I love the way you feel, the way you taste, watching you come apart because of me, the high-pitched whimper you make when it happens. I love you, Rose." He moved to the other side of her neck, giving it the same attention. "I also love your intelligence, your compassion, your sense of humor, your giggle, your voice. I love you."

Rose was touched by his words, but troubled by them at the same time. There was almost a resigned sadness in the way he said them. He started to move his kisses lower, but Rose pushed him back. "Nope. My turn."

She kissed her way from his neck down, speaking as she went. "I'd tell you all the things I love about you, but then I'd just be repeating your words. If I could have hand-picked all the qualities I wanted in the perfect man, I'd still end up with you, John." She worked his pajama bottoms down and ran a hand over him, making John suck in a breath. "I love you."

John moaned long and low as her mouth and hand encircled him. He threaded a hand into her hair as he always did when she did this for him. It wasn't a means to control her movements, but his way of touching her, wanting to connect with her in this way as she brought him pleasure. He was so close already, having gotten quite worked up while he was pleasuring her. "Oh…Rose."

His breath hitched and Rose trailed her hand to his balls, feeling them tighten in preparation. She pulled away and continued to pump with her hand, moving to catch his lips in a messy kiss. Just as her tongue met his, he convulsed slightly and groaned into her mouth as his release shot onto his stomach and Rose's hand. He slumped back onto the bed, panting. Without really thinking about what she was doing, a curious Rose brought her hand to her mouth and flicked her tongue over a small bit of the substance on her hand. She was suddenly yanked into a fierce kiss that felt a bit like John was trying to swallow her whole.

He finally broke away and turned a half-lidded gaze on her, making her insides flip in arousal. "Care to join me for a bath?"

"That sounds lovely." Rose was about to lay back and try to tamp down on her renewed arousal, but John rolled with her and began planting kisses down her body. His warm lips swept over her neck, her shoulders, her chest, her breasts, and her stomach. She felt almost worshipped with the reverent way he was touching her. He came back to her mouth and kissed her deeply, gliding his tongue along hers while his hands cupped her face.

"Wait here while I get the water ready."

Rose drifted in a blissful haze of love and lust until John returned and swept her into his arms to carry her to the bathroom.

* * *

John was always attentive and affectionate with her. She really couldn't have asked for a better husband. But everything was a bit more attentive today, a bit more affectionate, and paired with last night's frantic activities and John's sense of foreboding, it left her off balance and worried.

If he was going to make the most of their time together today, then so was she. Remembering a previous fantasy John had of them in the bath, she let her hands wander behind her to John's half-hard length.

With a pleased sigh, he moved his hands up from their resting place on her waist to her breasts, squeezing and tweaking her nipples into stiff peaks. Once he had them ready, he quickly swept his flat palm back and forth across them, turning Rose's breathing ragged.

Water sloshed dangerously close to the edge, but didn't overflow as Rose turned quickly and straddled John's thighs. She sank down onto him, causing them both to gasp at the sensation. Her fingers tangled into John's hair to drag him into a kiss as she began to slowly move.

John's hands moved to her hips, helping to guide her motions and move against the water's resistance. He was thankful she had initiated this, fulfilling one of his fantasies before whatever was coming for them got there. He pushed the thought from his mind as he fell into her kiss and the sensations she was generating on top of him.

He pulled out of the kiss to breathe and gazed up at his wife. Her hair was gently tousled, her skin was flushed, her eyes were half-lidded and her lips were swollen and parted as she panted. He was hoping this moment could last forever, but with that view he knew his release would creep up on him much quicker than he would like.

John started to reach a hand down to help Rose along, but she batted his hand away. The angle she had achieved was causing her to rub against John every time she lowered herself back down, giving her plenty of friction in the right place.

She tried to think of other things John wanted to try with her, but all she could think of was the way he seemed to lose control when she was vocal. If this was it, then she was going to give him what he wanted. Swallowing down her embarrassment, she leaned over to whisper in his ear. "I love you." She figured she could start off with something easy, something she had no problem saying to him.

He bucked up at the same time she came down and the gasp she let out was involuntary. "God, that feels good. You feel amazing, John." His hands left her waist so his arms could wrap around her and Rose heard him let out a small whimper at her words. With that sound, the grip he had on her, and the feeling of him filling her up, she could feel her orgasm looming just out of reach. "S-so close," she stuttered.

She gave a slight tug on his hair the next time she lowered herself and John pushed her down, grinding himself against her as he pulsed deep inside of her. Feeling the rush of warmth, his grinding motion, and hearing his groan pushed Rose over the edge and she clutched him tighter as the pleasure exploded.

When she could move again, Rose lifted her head to kiss John slowly and deeply. " _That_ was brilliant," she grinned.

John returned her grin. "Agreed." His grin faded slowly as he stroked a hand down her face. "I love you, Rose."

"I love you, too, John." It hurt her to see John so ill at ease. She just wanted whatever was bothering him to go away and leave them in peace.

* * *

At school that day, Rose felt it, too. The air was thicker, heavier, and it made a knot form in her stomach. Something just wasn't right. Between John's unease, Jack's insomnia, and a jumpy Timothy Latimer, Rose was ready to panic. Something was coming, something big, and it was affecting the three men closest to her.

She saw Jeremy Baines pass by with Jenny, one of the maids, and frowned in confusion. The high and mighty Jeremy Baines would never concern himself with one of the staff, but he and Jenny were conversing in hushed tones with their heads close together. Both of them stopped and sniffed loudly before shaking their heads, as if they thought they smelled something but didn't. Jenny continued off to the kitchens, but Baines turned to smile coldly at Rose, the unnatural cant to his head making her shudder. She quickly turned back to her work, watching in her periphery to make sure he left.

The rest of the day passed by normally, but Rose couldn't relax. Her earlier twinge of panic had only increased with Jeremy Baines' odd expressions and behavior. She was completely on edge, but didn't want to agitate John's worry. Pasting a smile on her face as he strode towards the library, she tried to tell herself she wasn't lying by pretending everything was fine, she was merely protecting him. She laced her arm through his and prepared for the greatest acting job of her life.

* * *

Jack was walking through the village, a habit he had taken up after seeing the green light and getting confirmation from the TARDIS that the Family were here. As he patrolled the main street, a commotion broke out near the pub. His stride lengthened until he saw Jeremy Baines pull a futuristic gun from his jacket pocket. He stopped and closed his eyes, sparing a brief second of grief for the young man that was dead now. It was clear from the technology and the look on his face, that what Jack was seeing was no longer human. Baines may have been a self-centered person, but he was still a person and deserved to live his life.

He quickly adjusted the sonic to the setting the Doctor had taught him and disabled the gun in Jeremy Baines' possession. With a quick slip into the shadows, he started running towards John and Rose's house. He sent silent apologies to the couple he was headed towards, not knowing where things would stand by the end of the night.

* * *

Timothy Latimer was trying to concentrate on his school work, but the watch would not stay quiet. It wasn't exactly speaking in words, but there was a constant hum and a feeling of anxiety coming from it. That feeling had been present all day, keeping him from concentrating during class and causing him to be jumpy around Mrs. Tyler. Finally, the feeling lifted, but the words chilled him. "It is time to return. Listen. John Tyler must open the watch."

With shaking fingers, he picked up the watch and left the school, his pace increasing as the watch continued speaking. By the time he was half-way to the cottage on the outskirts of the village, his fear for his village and its citizens was at an all-time high, eclipsed only by the fear and sorrow he felt for Mr. and Mrs. Tyler.

* * *

Rose kissed John's forehead as she cleared the table after dinner. He was bent over his journal containing the Doctor's adventures and sketches from his dreams. The dreams had been occurring nightly for two weeks and it was putting John on edge. With the uneasiness he had been feeling, he was wondering if his dreams may be able to help him make sense of what was going on.

As she came back to the table to grab the rest of the dishes, John snagged her hand and pulled her into his lap. The kiss he pressed to her lips was sweet and chaste as his lips glided against hers. She tried to deepen it, but he resisted with a grin, enjoying teasing her. With her muffled groan of disappointment, he obediently opened, twining his tongue with hers. He pulled back once he was sure he would pass out if he didn't breathe soon and rested his forehead against hers. "I love you."

"And I love you," Rose panted, trying to catch her breath. She wrapped her arms around him, soaking in his warmth for a few minutes before standing up and heading back to the sink.

A knock on the door surprised her and the panic she had been fighting all day hit her full force. As John moved to answer it, she just had a feeling all hell was about to break loose.

* * *

"Jack?" Rose took in the frantic looking, out of breath man who was barging into their home with concern. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, god. Rosie, I am so sorry." His words sent panic clawing up her throat, but through great effort, Rose choked it back. "I…I had all this time to think about what I would say when this moment came, but I've got nothing. I'll just come out and say it, I guess." He looked straight into John's eyes. "John, you need to become the Doctor, again. The Family have found us." It was blunt, but it should hopefully help him gauge how much effort he would need to put into getting his friend back.

John looked at him with wide eyes and snorted a laugh of disbelief. "What? Don't be ridiculous."

Jack growled. "We don't have time for this. The Doctor has to come back, now." People were in danger and here he was arguing with a man who didn't know he'd ever been anything else. This was a complication Jack should have seen coming, but quite honestly didn't.

Rose's anxiety finally spilled out in one choked sob and John wrapped his arm around her. "Stop it, Jack. You can spout your lies at me, but I won't have you upsetting Rose." He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "It'll be alright, love. I'll sort this out."

"Doctor, we need you now. People are in danger," Jack pressed, hoping maybe enough of the Doctor's consciousness was left in John to break through.

John shook his head. "Jack, this isn't funny. Those are just dreams. The Doctor isn't real."

Jack ran his hands through his hair and started pacing. "Look, you and me, we travel through time and space. These hunter aliens want a Time Lord body so they can live forever, and they were chasing us. We tried to get away from them, but we couldn't. The best we could do is hide and that's why we're here. You had to become human to protect yourself from them."

An almost hysterical laugh bubbled out of John, his own unease escalating. "Seriously, this isn't funny. I've been having a rough few days, Jack. I don't have the patience for your jokes, right now."

"Damn it, Doctor! People could be dying out there! The Family is attacking the village!" Jack took a deep breath and calmly asked his next question. Yelling would get him nowhere. "Where's the watch? If you open that, it will bring the Doctor back."

"What watch? Jack, I don't remember being the Doctor! How could I have forgotten being an entirely different person?"

Jack stalked into John's study and started rummaging through his things. "The fob watch. Where is it?" The rummaging turned frantic as nothing turned up. "Where is it?!"

John looked at his friend, confused and more than a little frightened. "I don't have any idea what you're talking about!"

There was another knock at the door and John watched Rose let in Timothy Latimer. "Mr. Latimer?" Rose looked at the watch the young man was clutching and the terrifying truth was becoming clear. "What brings you here?"

The young man swallowed heavily. He did not want to do this to the two good people standing in front of him. "I have the watch, your watch. It spoke to me while I was in your room at the school with Mrs. Tyler, getting the calming tea after the run in with Baines and Hutchinson. It told me to take it, so I did. It's been speaking to me. Telling me stories of the Doctor and tonight it told me you need to return. We need the Doctor back."

John shook his head quickly, chest heaving as his perfect world was crumbling around him. What he would give to go back to a few weeks ago when he and Rose were blissfully travelling across France. "It's nonsense, Mr. Latimer. Those are dreams, just dreams," he explained calmly. "The Doctor isn't real! I'm real! John Tyler is a real man, married to Rose Tyler! We have a life! A good life and I won't have you two trying to ruin this!" His voice had risen with his worry as he struggled to make the two men see reason.

Latimer just held the watch out, his expression calm. "Please take it, sir. If you open it, the Doctor will return. If you believe the Doctor to just be a product of your imagination, and if you are correct, nothing will happen if you open it. This watch has told me all about the Doctor."

John reached for Rose, needing at least her hand to hold. Rose went for something even better and wrapped her arms around his waist. John returned the embrace, letting her presence ground him. Of course, he wouldn't open the watch, because too much evidence was mounting, and this life he led was incredible. Why would he want to end it? He knew that's what it would be. His life in exchange for the Doctor's life.

Latimer continued to speak. "He's like fire and ice and rage. He's like the night and the storm in the heart of the sun."

"Stop it," John whispered as he clutched Rose tighter.

"He's ancient and forever. He burns at the center of time and can see the turn of the universe."

"Stop it, I said stop it!" The Doctor sounded horrible. He didn't want to be that man.

Latimer just smiled placatingly at him. "And…he's wonderful."

He gave the watch to Jack and left without another word. The watch had told him Mr. Harkness could be trusted to get the Doctor back.

Jack looked John in the eye. "He's right, you know. The Doctor is scary and powerful and carries the universe on his shoulders. But he's also my best friend and someone I know I can count on in the most dire situations."

John shook his head vehemently and let go of Rose, realizing he was probably crushing her with how much his hold had tightened. "But he isn't real. The Doctor is just a dream."

"John," Rose placed a gentle hand on her husband's arm. He turned to look at her, his clear distress over the situation made her heart clench. She knew just as well as he did, that the things they were saying, unbelievable as they were, were probably true. "Did you ever show Jack the journal?"

John's mouth opened to give her a quick 'yes', because that had to be how Jack and Latimer knew about the Doctor and that he was a Time Lord travelling through time and space. It would explain all of this away! But as he slowed down to think about it, he had only ever shown the journal to Rose. It was kept in a locked drawer in his desk when he lived at the school and the key was on his person at all times. Then after he and Rose married, it stayed in the drawer of his bedside table, so there was never a time when Jack could have seen it without John's knowledge. He had also never told the man of his dreams. They may have been old friends, but he worried the other man would think he was mad.

Resignation joined the fear in John's eyes and Rose hugged him fiercely as he stumbled into her embrace. "Is what he's saying true?"

Rose gripped him tighter as he started to shudder in her arms with sobs. With a nod and an apologetic expression on his face, Jack left to give them some privacy. Rose held John quietly until he calmed down. He pulled back and smiled sheepishly at her.

With a soft smile and fighting her own tears welling up, Rose cupped her husband's cheeks. "You listen to me, John Tyler. Your name doesn't matter to me. Surprisingly, your species doesn't really matter to me, either. What matters is who you are, your beliefs, your values, your personality. Those are the reasons I love you." Her tears spilled over as she continued. "Whether you are called John Tyler or the Doctor, whether you're a human or a Time Lord, as long as you're still the wonderful, brilliant man I've fallen in love with, I'll be here for you. I'll still love you. We made a promise of forever, remember?"

John's breath caught as his own tears returned in the face of his wife's tears. "But, what if the Doctor forgets about how much I love you at this moment? I don't remember being the Doctor. What if the Doctor doesn't remember being me? What if he doesn't remember you or the beautiful life we have together?" He softly stroked her face as he rested his forehead against hers. "What if the Doctor no longer wants this life? Jack tried so hard to keep us apart in the beginning. What if he was trying to do that to protect us both because the Doctor doesn't want any of this?"

Rose began to tremble as he laid her own fears bare. "If -," she stumbled over her words as her breath caught. "If the Doctor doesn't want me, then I'll figure it out. I won't trap you. But when you become the Doctor again, because you must – those villagers need you – when you become the Doctor again, if you still want me around, I'll still be here for you." She bravely smiled up at him, hoping the Doctor would love her as John did. She wished with all her might, that the only thing that would change was his name.

John leaned in to kiss her, conveying all his love and devotion in the gentle kiss he was pressing to her lips. He deepened the kiss, savoring Rose's sweet sigh and the way her hands tightened against his back as he lovingly brushed his tongue against hers. Finally, the need for air forced them to separate and he leaned his forehead against hers again, panting to regain his breath and calm his racing pulse. "Rose, if this all goes horribly wrong and if the Doctor leaves you, please know that I love you so utterly and completely. I absolutely adore you and I honestly can't fathom a version of me who doesn't feel the same. If he only feels a small fraction of what I feel for you, then he will still be entirely devoted to you."

Rose tried to smile, but could only nod at him as she lost control and sobs racked her body. "I love you, John Tyler. I know you love me and I hope you know how much I love you."

John nodded as he bit back another sob.

"I'll be here when it's over," Rose promised. With one last embrace that was so tight, they feared they'd break each other, John whispered he loved her one more time, kissed her forehead and swept out the door to do what needed to be done.

* * *

John nodded at Jack as he emerged from the small, cozy home he shared with Rose. His heart felt like it was shattering in his chest, his lungs wouldn't take in enough oxygen, and his entire body was trembling, but he would do what he needed to do. Rose believed in him and since he believed in her, he had to believe in himself by proxy.

He took the watch from Jack and paused as he stroked the outer shell. He took a few steps away from the cottage, not wanting Rose to hear his next question or Jack's answer. With a shuddering breath, he stared straight ahead out over the countryside. "Tell me, Jack. As the Doctor, am I a good man? Will I still love and take care of Rose?"

Jack sighed deeply as he studied the countryside as well. "I've never known the Doctor to be in love." John's breath hitched and Jack rushed to clarify. "Not because he's incapable. The Doctor loves all of his friends dearly and has a great appreciation for all forms of life. But people flow in and out of his life so frequently, that he's kept a wall between himself and everyone else so that it doesn't hurt so much when they leave. I've never known the Doctor to be in love, because he loves everyone _too_ much and has to keep a distance to protect himself." Jack finally turned to face John. "I'm absolutely certain that as the Doctor, you'll see to it that Rose is taken care of. But as for loving her, I just don't know."

John nodded and let out a deep breath as he raised the watch, but Jack's hand on his arm stopped him. "Not here." At the questioning look he received, Jack motioned for them to walk farther away from the house. "It hurt when you became human. I don't know if it will hurt to change back, but if it does…," he paused with a shudder as he remembered the Doctor's screams during the first transformation. "I don't want Rosie to hear you scream." John's breath came out on a shaky sigh at the thought. More than the thought of going through that pain, it made him sick to his stomach to think of Rose having to listen to it. He silently agreed and the two men continued to walk briskly toward town and the trouble the aliens were causing.

* * *

John looked back after they had walked a good distance away from the cottage. He could no longer see his house and they were still far enough away from the village to keep him from being heard as he became the Doctor again. He huffed softly as he gazed at the watch. "You know, I really hope I open this, nothing happens and I can say you're insane and go back to Rose. Then she and I can live our lives peacefully."

He looked back up at Jack and was shocked by the moisture in the other man's eyes. "I wish that would happen, too," was the whispered reply.

With a last deep breath, he opened the watch and screamed.


	23. Chapter 23

Thank you guys, for the lovely comments! After reading them, I felt a bit evil for the cliffhanger. So here I am – again – paying no mind to my posting schedule.

If you haven't seen it, BuffyAnn23 made an absolutely beautiful bit of art for this story. It's on thedalektables over at tumblr and I've reblogged it on my tumblr, as well (creirdyddlyddthings) if you want to go have a look. (I suggest you do. Strongly.)

A small change for Baines' fate. Really, Doctor, think things through. Also, I'm not very good with action, so…don't expect any sort of epic fight scenes.

* * *

Chapter 23

* * *

Jack watched his friend double over and gasp for breath after the screaming was over. After a few seconds, he couldn't take it anymore. "John or Doctor?"

The Doctor straightened up and shot a crooked smile Jack's way. "Doctor, again."

Jack let out a relieved sigh. "Oh, thank goodness."

There was a quick, exuberant hug from the Time Lord. "Thank you, Jack. I know I wasn't easy to deal with the past couple months. But you did a brilliant job."

Jack didn't want to ask his next question, but it needed to be addressed. "Do you remember being John?"

The Doctor nodded with a somber look on his face.

"And Rosie?"

A small smile lifted the Doctor's lips. "Oh, yes."

"What's gonna happen to her?" Jack was seriously worried for the young woman that had been unknowingly dragged into this.

The Doctor sighed. "Hopefully, she'll travel with us. She is my wife, after all. And she promised she'd still love me after I became the Doctor, again."

Jack put a hand to his chest with another sigh of relief. "Thank goodness. She's too good to just be abandoned, Doc. Do you…," another question he was afraid to ask, but Rose deserved to be with them because she was loved, not out of some sense of obligation on the Doctor's part. "Do you still love her?"

The Doctor studied Jack for a moment. Of course, he still loved her. How could he not? She was perfection in his eyes. But this wasn't something he wanted to discuss with his friend. He tried his usual tactic of pretending nothing had been said.

The Doctor clapped once and started off toward the village. "Let's go stop the Family."

Jack appeared in front of him and grabbed his lapels, getting uncomfortably close to his face. "Oh, no you don't, Time Lord. I have spent the past almost three months, worrying and panicking and trying to keep you from doing something you'd regret. But you were determined when it came to Rosie. John and Rose loved each other so completely and had the best relationship I've ever witnessed. You and your human counterpart aren't so different and I'm sure she'd fill up all those dark places in your soul if you let her. That sweet woman deserves love, not being dragged around the universe because you feel guilty! Now out with it!" Jack shook him slightly and then shoved him away from him. "Do you still love her?"

The Doctor just nodded slightly.

All the weight seemed to lift off Jack's shoulders. "Good."

* * *

Jack wordlessly passed the sonic to the Doctor – who caressed it and then kissed it – as they crouched behind some bushes, watching the man who was once Jeremy Baines twirl around in the street with his arms open as he shouted. "Time Lord! Come out, come out wherever you are," he sang. "Really, there doesn't need to be any more trouble. Just come out."

The Doctor watched as Jenny from the school, the farmer, Mr. Clark, and the young Lucy Cartwright walked behind Baines, their gaits and expressions showing they were also possessed by the Family. He gritted his teeth as guilt rushed over him. Four innocent people were dead because he brought the Family here. Choosing a setting on the sonic that would make the Family's guns fall apart the next time they tried to fire, he turned to Jack. "Here's the plan."

* * *

Jack walked out where the Family could see him. "Hey! You guys looking for a Time Lord?"

They tried to fire the guns at Jack and he rolled his eyes as pieces of the guns fell to litter the ground. "You want him or not?"

Baines just cocked his head oddly. "Where is the Time Lord?"

"Follow me!" With that, Jack took off running for the field where the aliens' ship had landed two weeks ago. Jack was confident he could outrun the Family – a benefit of travelling with the Doctor. He just hoped the Doctor was through setting the controls in the ship.

Jack burst into the clearing where the ship was parked, the Family catching up a few seconds later. Jack was pointing at their ship, but the Family all sniffed loudly before rushing in, having smelled the Doctor inside.

The Doctor stepped out from his hiding place by the door, casually watching the Family. "I tried to be merciful and give you a chance to live your lives out peacefully. But you didn't want that. Now you'll have to suffer the consequences." His tone was dark and menacing as he growled at them. "While waiting for you, I pushed an awful lot of buttons," he confessed in a dangerous sounding whisper. "You may want to run." He slammed down one more button before running out the door.

There was a loud beeping coming from the ship and the Family raced out after the Doctor, knowing their ship was about to explode. They were knocked to the ground by the blast and looked up to find the Doctor and Jack looming over them, darkness covering both men's faces.

"Jack, help me tie them up and get them to the TARDIS. After that, I want you to go collect the pieces of the guns in the street. Those materials don't need to be here. Then, help any wounded. Once you're done, meet me back at the TARDIS. I'll have her outside the cottage."

* * *

There were many things the Doctor could have done with the Family. Suspending one of them in stasis and using them as a scarecrow crossed a dark corner of his mind as an option, which he quickly rejected. Some poor human would stumble across it one day and be horrified at the seemingly lifeless person inside. He was anxious to get back and make sure Rose was safe, so he wasted little time with the aliens he had tried to avoid. With the push of a button, they were all sent into the event horizon of a collapsing galaxy. He thought about showing them some mercy, but four people were dead because of their greed, one of them a child, and he just couldn't forgive that.

The Doctor circled the TARDIS console, setting the coordinates for his and Rose's cottage. He pondered over the past couple months as he moved. He was married, he was in love, and neither of those bothered him as they might have in the past. He ran his fingers over his wedding ring with a soft smile. He was still in love with Rose, very much so and hoped she could accept him. As he ran through his time with her in his head, his cheeks flushed, though he would deny to the death that Time Lords blushed. Blimey! He'd been busy!

Choosing to focus on something else, he smiled as his time ship hummed happily. He could feel her relief the moment their connection snapped back into place. "Sorry for hurting you like that, old girl." He patted the console and then a question struck him. "Why John Tyler? I've always been John Smith."

The TARDIS showed him an image of Rose accompanied by a feeling of fondness. Understanding washed over the Doctor. "Oh," he said slowly. "Rose _Smith_ would have been meaningless now." He paused for a second as that caused a new thought. "Wait. You knew I would marry Rose?"

There was a sheepish hum from the TARDIS and the Doctor frowned. "I'm not angry, but I would like to know what was going through your head. Well, metaphorically speaking."

The TARDIS landed and the Doctor took a deep breath. Time to see if he was still a married man.

* * *

The pale light of dawn started to cover Farringham and still, Rose paced as she waited for John, or the Doctor, to return. She really didn't care what name he went by. She wasn't lying when she said that to him. As long as he was still _him_ , she would love him just as unfailingly as she had the whole time they had known each other.

She jumped as the door opened and wrung her hands in nervousness as her husband appeared in the doorway. He held himself a bit differently, and the sad expression on his face worried her. She had so many fears and emotions running through her, but couldn't put voice to any of them, so she settled for chewing her lip and twisting her hands, hoping he would break the heavy silence soon.

Finally, he let out a shuddering breath and took two slow steps towards her, giving her a chance to run if she so wanted. When she stood her ground and continued to watch him with wide, teary eyes, the Doctor smiled gently at her. "I may not go by John Tyler anymore, but I'm still me, Rose. I remember all of our time together. I remember our first walk through town. I remember asking you to run away with me the night of the village dance. I remember marrying you in Barcelona. I remember our perfect Christmas together." His smile grew slightly at her hesitant smile. She took a small step towards him and began to raise her arms for a hug and then drew back and tilted her head questioningly. In response, the Doctor opened his arms and she dashed into them, gripping him tightly.

"I was so worried you'd come back and say you didn't want me! Or that you wouldn't come back at all." She stiffened as she realized he had never said whether he still wanted her or not. He had only mentioned that he remembered. The Doctor continued to rub soothing circles on her back when he felt her stiffen and tightened his embrace slightly as he rested his cheek on top of her head.

"I still have a responsibility to the universe, Rose. I do need to go and travel. That's what I do."

Rose started to pull away, embarrassed at having gone to him in excitement and then being rejected. "I understand."

"I don't think you do, love." The Doctor gently tilted her chin up so he could meet her eyes. "I want you to come with me."

Rose worked to find words. Her emotions had gone all over the place and she wasn't sure what to say or feel at this precise moment. "In space?"

The Doctor smiled the big, brilliant grin that had always made her knees weak. "It's all waiting, Rose. New planets, new time periods. We could see the past, the future, travel to Barcelona the planet." She let out a watery giggle at his infectious enthusiasm.

He sobered and rubbed a gentle thumb over the apple of her cheek. "You don't have to, if you don't want to. I know it's a lot to ask of someone to leave everything they know behind. But I still love you and I want to always be with you. Forever." It was surprisingly easy to be candid and open with Rose. He figured it was due to the fact that not only did he still feel a very deep love and devotion to her, but as John Tyler, he had said those things frequently.

Rose hid her giant smile in his chest. "That's what I want, too. Forever." Her smile died as she looked back up at him. "Will…will you forgive me if I accidentally call you 'John' sometimes? Having your name change suddenly will take some getting used to."

The Doctor smiled softly at her. "You've been brilliant at accepting me like this. I think I can find a little forgiveness if you get my name wrong in the beginning." He winked playfully at her and she blushed.

Rose sighed happily as she settled back into the Doctor's embrace. In the course of a day, her life had gone from idyllic to uncertain. But she still had her husband. With that worry lifted from her shoulders, she was grateful for this new life she found herself entering. She wasn't sure what to expect, but with the Doctor by her side, she couldn't wait to find out. "Do I need to pack?"

"Only sentimental things. The TARDIS has everything else we could possibly need."

"The TARDIS is your ship, right?"

The Doctor nodded, but then shook his head. " _Our_ ship," he corrected.

Rose gave an embarrassed, but pleased smile as she packed up mementos and keepsakes that were decorating the tiny cottage. The Doctor sat and pondered as he watched her. His TARDIS had picked Rose Tyler for some reason. He was meant to marry her. He just needed to find out why. He was elated with that fact, for certain. She was a brilliant woman and he adored and loved her. But he still wondered what it was that drew his TARDIS to her. He was startled out of his thoughts when a gentle hand touched his shoulder.

"Are you alright?" Rose was peering at him in concern. "I called your name twice and you didn't seem to hear me."

"I'm sorry, love. Just thinking." He took her hand and gently tugged her to sit on his lap, the way he had done so many times as John. Rose ran her hands through his hair, smiling as he closed his eyes and made the same noise he had always made as John, that pleased sigh she loved so much. He pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek and when she turned her head to face him, he hesitated for just a second before leaning in to capture her lips. As John Tyler, kissing Rose had been one of the most amazing things he had ever done. As the Doctor, the experience was even better. With his heightened senses, everything was clearer and sharper and so much more tantalizing. When she opened for him, he had to bite back a groan as her flavor exploded on his tongue. He gently broke the kiss and leaned his forehead against hers. When his mind pulsed with the desire to merge with hers, he forced down a shiver of anticipation. He didn't know if Rose would be open to adding telepathy to their intimacy, and he was sure he'd have to sustain everything, but he really hoped she would want to be joined in the ways of his people as well as their human union. It wouldn't be quite the same as it would be with another telepath, but it would still be perfect because it was with Rose.

Rose gave a breathless giggle. "Well, that hasn't changed."

The Doctor joined in her giggles. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" he whispered as he slowly rubbed his nose against hers and pressed tiny, teasing kisses around her mouth.

"I'd say it's a…" she paused to think about her response since her body's reactions to his teasing were stealing every spare thought she had. "…it's a very good thing."

The Doctor wanted to continue and make love to her there in the cottage before they went to the TARDIS. He could smell her desire and didn't want to leave her wanting. He wanted to explain telepathy and pray to every deity he didn't believe in that she would be receptive. He wanted to bond with her right then and there in the home they had shared when he was human. But all of those things would have to wait. With a sigh, he pulled away from her. "We need to get to the TARDIS."

Rose stood on wobbly legs and tried to appear unaffected. The Doctor stood and wrapped his arms around her waist before she could step away from him. "I want to make love to you, Rose. But I'm not sure how long Jack is willing to wait for us and I'd prefer if he didn't see you in all your glory." Rose shivered at his husky voice murmuring to her and the gentle finger that was ghosting along the front of her dress. "That privilege is mine alone."

She gave a sharp nod and took a deep calming breath as the Doctor moved to pick up the case she had packed. "Is this everything?"

Rose glanced around the cottage and stepped up to him, trying to keep her shaking legs from giving out on her. "Yes, that's everything." She looped her arm though his and took another deep breath as they exited the cottage. "So Jack travels with you?"

The Doctor nodded. "He's been traveling with me for about two years now. He's not a bad guy, but he does get a little…inappropriate at times. If he makes you uncomfortable, please come to me and let me know."

Rose gave him a look. "I've been working in a boys' school for years now, love. I think I can handle Jack. He's always been an absolute gentleman around me."

The Doctor bit back the remark that Jack was from a very morally flexible culture and time period and instead hoped the former conman's gentlemanly ways continued around his wife. "Be that as it may, if he gives you trouble just let me know."

Rose grinned and leaned up to brush a kiss to his cheek. "Where is this mysterious ship of yours?"

The Doctor led Rose to the back of the house where the TARDIS stood waiting. Rose made a circuit around the ship, looking her over curiously. "It's very tiny."

"She."

Rose merely quirked an eyebrow at her husband and he smiled at her. "The TARDIS is actually a 'she'. She's also sentient and a bit temperamental, but she's home."

Rose smiled at her husband's affectionate tone. She laid a hand against the wood and gasped to feel it warm and slightly vibrating.

The Doctor grinned again, but started to feel anxious. What if this was all too much for his wife? With the TARDIS being a time machine, he could always head out to correct any fluctuating time lines and then be back to Rose on Earth within moments. But he really wanted her to travel and share this life with him and see all the beautiful sights the universe had to offer.

Rose erased all his fears when she shot him an excited smile. "Can I see the inside now?"

This was always one of the Doctor's favorite moments. With a flourish, he opened the door and then carried a giggling Rose across the threshold. After he set her down, she slowly turned in a circle, taking in the console room with eager eyes. "She's bigger on the inside." The Doctor's smile widened at the familiar and expected phrase.

He noted Jack's absence and mentally asked the TARDIS, who showed him Jack passed out in his room. He was relieved the conman wasn't awake so he could have some time with just him and Rose.

Rose tilted her head as though listening to something and then ran a gentle hand along the console. "Her singing is beautiful."

 _That_ statement made the Doctor jump. "You can hear her?"

Rose nodded and then frowned at her husband's shell-shocked expression. "Can't everybody?"

The Doctor's mouth worked soundlessly for a few seconds and then he finally just shook his head. "No. Most people can hear a humming, but I've never met anyone who has actually heard her song. I've always been the only one." After spending a few more minutes in shock, he gave Rose a considering look. "I want to run some tests on you in the medbay."

"What?" Rose looked at him wide-eyed, caught off-guard by the statement.

With a smile, the Doctor gently took her hands and brushed a kiss to her knuckles. "For a few reasons, actually. One, I want to give you a baseline physical anyway. It'll help me to heal you if you become ill during our travels. And two, I want to see if you're telepathic." He tried to stamp down the growing hope, but was failing miserably.

Rose blinked up at him. "Telepathic? Like mind-reading?" She gave a giggle. "I can't do that."

With a head shake, the Doctor took her hand. "Come have some tea with me in the library. I have some things I need to tell you."


	24. Chapter 24

Um, so I was tweaking this last night, wrote a few more scenes, and it got REALLY long. But then I figured, 'eh, what the heck'. So, I present you with an extra long chapter. Obviously, my update schedule is just a distant memory. Tomorrow, you'll get the finale. :D

NSFW

* * *

Chapter 24

* * *

"You have a library?!" Rose bounced a little in excitement, hands clasped in front of her chest.

The Doctor gave her a sly smile as he held out his hand for Rose to take, wiggling his fingers and eyebrows at her.

Rose laced her fingers with the Doctor's as he led her further into the time ship. As they passed multiple branching corridors and took too many twists and turns to count, Rose's enthusiasm for the library had faded as nervousness took its place. "I'm going to become terribly lost in here."

There was a reassuring hum around her. "I have a feeling the TARDIS will help you get where you need to go."

As they continued, Rose noticed small lights on the floor were lighting up on the hallways they travelled while other corridors stayed dark. "She'll lead me with the lights, won't she?"

The Doctor grinned. "You are brilliant, love." As John, he had always known she was clever. And now as the Doctor, he still thought so. "You just have to think about where you'd like to go or what you need, and she'll lead you to it."

He led her into a large bedroom with an ornate, dark wood bookcase and two plush armchairs over in one corner, a fireplace along one wall, a large dresser, and a gigantic bed. The Doctor ran a hand along the back of his neck. "It's been over twenty-four hours since you last slept. You must be exhausted."

Rose looked at him in confusion. "I thought we were going to talk in the library."

"After you've rested. I have a lot to talk about and I want you awake while I'm telling you," he grinned.

Rose returned his grin and moved to stand in front of him. "Before I rest, I would like to make love to my husband. After all, I thought I had lost him earlier."

The Doctor drew a deep breath. As John, it was easy to fall into bed with his wife. As the Doctor, he had never done this. John wasn't lying when he said he had never been with a woman shortly after their wedding.

The Doctor just didn't do that sort of thing. Time Lords had always looked down on physical intimacy and it wasn't really something that interested the Doctor. Maybe from a purely clinical standpoint he had been curious, but in practice it had always seemed messy and pointless. Unless two people were trying to procreate, he just didn't understand the appeal, so he kept away from it. Sure, he had been married back on Gallifrey, but that had been political. He met the woman once, signed the papers, donated a tissue sample for the looms, and that was it. No bonding, no name sharing, no physical intimacy. He never saw her again.

Rose took the initiative and kissed him. As her lips moved over his, his reservations and nervousness crumbled. He loved her and she loved him. There was nothing to be nervous about with her. And if he was being completely honest, he remembered this being mind-numbingly pleasurable when he was John. If kissing was so much more intense, he was anxious to see how much better making love would be as the Doctor. And even though he had never felt desire before meeting Rose, he couldn't deny that it was coursing strongly through his body now.

He opened under her careful caresses, allowing his tongue to glide against hers as they had done so many times before, but felt so much clearer now. He nipped at her full bottom lip, something John had never done, and heard her gasp and then sigh in pleasure. The Doctor grinned as he moved his mouth to her neck, working a mark into her skin as he busied his hands with removing her dress.

As soon as her dress pooled around her ankles, Rose was pushing at the Doctor's jacket, anxious to feel him skin to skin. The worry of the past few hours was catching up to her and she was almost frantic to feel him, to feel his heart pounding against hers, to know he was healthy and there with her.

Feeling her impatience, the Doctor helped her by removing his shirt as she worked on his trousers. A few more hurried movements, and the Doctor lifted Rose onto his bed. She scooted into the middle and sighed as the Doctor settled into the cradle of her thighs.

The Doctor dropped his head to hers and tried to slow his racing pulse, but it felt like a losing battle. "Rose love, I wanted this to be gentle and sweet. Our first time on the TARDIS, and with me knowing who I truly am. I wanted it to be slow and sensual. But I've been so worried about defeating the Family and keeping you safe and if you'd accept me, that I don't know if I can keep it that way."

Rose slid her hands into his hair. "I was scared to death when you were gone. I need to feel you with me. I need to know you're here and you're safe. Slow and sweet will come later. Right now, I just need you, Doctor."

He reached down to make sure she was ready, and inched his way in. "So tight," he murmured as her heat surrounded him. It was so much different than it had been for him as John. Pleasure and heat and sensation sparked along his nerve endings, and he wondered if he'd be able to last with everything being so much more intense than it had been before. Not only was it different physically, but with all the skin to skin contact, he was getting a sense of Rose's emotions. He couldn't see her thoughts without touching her temples, but feeling a feedback of the pleasure he was giving her was more than enough for now. Once he was all the way in, he took a moment to let both of them adjust.

Rose used her hands in his hair to bring his mouth to hers for a kiss and then arched her hips, catching his whimper in her mouth. After she broke away from the kiss, it was a cacophony of pants, sighs, groans, whimpers, and moans as they reaffirmed the other was safe and with them. Rose managed to pant out 'I love you' before all her muscles clamped down, pulling the Doctor along with her.

After they both caught their breath and their pulses slowed, the Doctor reluctantly pulled out of Rose and went to fetch a flannel to clean them up. He settled back in next to her and pulled her snugly into his arms. "I was a little distracted when you said it earlier, but I love you, too."

Rose giggled as she tried to burrow even closer, though they would have to literally merge into one being to make that happen. A yawn snuck up on her and the Doctor ran his fingers through her hair. "Go to sleep, love. I'll be here when you wake up."

"Okay. Goodnight. Love you," she hummed as sleep stole over her.

"Love you, too." The Doctor brushed a kiss on her forehead and closed his eyes. He may have been sleeping a lot as John, but changing back into a Time Lord had felt a lot like regeneration and he was exhausted.

* * *

"JOHN!" The Doctor's eyes flew open and he shot up in bed as Rose screamed. She was sitting up next to him with a hand to her chest, eyes wide and breathing heavily. As their gazes connected, her face crumpled and the Doctor drew her closer and laid back down with her. She shuddered against him as loud sobs tore through her body.

He murmured soothingly to her, nonsense noises and whispers of endearments, as she tried to get herself back under control. His hearts felt like they were shattering in his chest. He couldn't even guess what she'd been dreaming about, but the fact that she yelled for his human version, didn't seem very encouraging to him.

Her sobs had dwindled to the occasional rough, shuddering breath. "Do you want to talk about it?" The Doctor murmured.

Rose sighed heavily and then sat up to lean her back against the headboard. The Doctor followed suit and waited patiently for her to explain. "It's just…there are so many dreams I had…expectations for what my life would be. And all those expectations, became so much more beautiful after I met John – or you – I guess. I'm still not entirely sure if I should speak of you as different men or not."

The Doctor laced his fingers with hers. "Whichever you feel most comfortable with is fine, love."

Rose nodded and then continued. "I wanted all those things so much more. We already had a sturdy foundation of love and trust and comfort with each other. We had an amazing marriage, were working on building incredible memories in that little cottage. And I couldn't wait until we decided we were ready, and I could put beautiful babies in your arms, perfect little beings that were the product of our love for each other. I wanted us to grow older and watch as our perfect little babies became wonderful, but flawed adults. I wanted us to watch them find their own perfect love stories and build their happy lives with someone they loved. I wanted grandchildren to run into that cottage and rush to hug us when they came to visit. I wanted to live a beautiful, long life with you, filled with so much happiness and a love so deep that it couldn't be put into words. When you were John, I knew what was expected, knew what our life held to a certain extent. And it was magical, a real-life fairy tale."

Rose's throat tightened with another lump, but she pushed through. "Everything is different now. I don't know what's coming next. And I don't know whether I should be excited or terrified of that fact. I don't know…I don't know if I should mourn John or if that would be silly because you're right here. I just…I feel like I don't know anything right now."

The Doctor stared at the fingers he had been playing with, feeling a lump in his own throat. "Do you still love me?"

The vulnerability in the Doctor's voice and his eyes when he looked at her made another round of sobs erupt. She wrapped her arms around him and clutched him tightly to her. "Never doubt that I love you. You mean everything to me. You said you were still the same man. If that's the case, then that deep love I mentioned is still there. I loved you more than I can say when you were John, so if you're still the same, of course I still need you and want you and love you."

The Doctor pulled back and looked into Rose's eyes. The truth was clearly visible in her gaze. "Do you wish I could be human again?"

Rose gave a sigh as she settled back against the headboard. "I want you to be _you_. But, out of curiosity, would you be John again?"

The Doctor wanted to tell her 'yes', but that wasn't quite the truth. "Not really. I'd still love you, and the TARDIS would make sure I knew you were my wife. But the memories…the TARDIS would do her best to implant them, but it wouldn't be the same. She wouldn't get all the details right and the emotions associated with them wouldn't be there. They would just be stories, not something I truly remembered living through. I remember my human time as the Doctor, but as you saw, it doesn't work the other way around. The human I become forgets ever being the Doctor."

Rose shook her head. "I definitely wouldn't want you to forget any of our time together."

She settled back into bed and turned towards him. "I still love you. Very much so. It's just that everything changed in the course of one day. I don't know what to expect and that's scary. It's exciting, too, but mainly I'm just scared."

The Doctor settled back into the bed next to her and stroked his hand over her cheek, brushing hair away from her face. "What has you so scared, love?"

Rose struggled to put her thoughts into words. "It's just that everything I've ever known is different, now. What if I can't keep up?"

The Doctor wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. "We'll ease you into it. Don't worry. I promise I won't let anything happen to you. And if this becomes too much, we'll head back to Earth and that little cottage. I'll head out to do what I need to do, but with the TARDIS being a time machine, I could be back to you within minutes of leaving." The Doctor pressed a kiss to Rose's lips. "Whatever you choose, is fine. I just need you in my life. Whether I'm travelling through the stars or living a life on Earth, as long as I have you, it will be perfect."

Rose kissed his chest and snuggled in further as she drifted back to sleep.

* * *

A rhythmic stroking on his chest woke the Doctor and he looked down to see Rose smiling slightly as she played with the patch of hair between his hearts. He thought nothing of it until her hand stilled and she slowly placed her hand on one side for a few seconds, and repeated the action on the other side.

"You have two hearts?"

"Yes. It's one of the differences between Time Lords and humans. One of those things I was going to tell you later." His anxious eyes met hers. "Are you still okay?"

Rose nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. It just took me by surprise. I mean, your heartbeat used to lull me to sleep sometimes." She flushed with her admission. "I'll just have to get used to a new rhythm."

"But, are you okay? After last night?"

Rose smiled slightly at him and nodded. "Yes, still okay."

The Doctor dropped a kiss to the top of her head. They had only been asleep for a couple hours so it was just around noon. "Why don't we get dressed and then we can have that discussion about everything. I'm sure the TARDIS wouldn't mind having breakfast ready for us in the library just this once." He said it in a hopeful tone towards the ceiling and got a cheery hum in response.

Rose slid out of bed and then her eyes widened. "We need to tell the headmaster we're leaving!"

The Doctor shifted uncomfortably. "I'm not really one to stick around for clean up. Plus, considering the time, I'm pretty sure he knows we're not coming in today."

Rose put her hands on her hips and sent him a stern look. The effect was completely ruined since she was still nude. "I can't just leave without a word to him! He was friends with my dad and did so much to help Mum and me after we lost Dad. He deserves to hear that we're travelling and that Jack is coming with us."

The Doctor groaned, knowing she was right. He had asked for the man's permission to marry her for goodness sake, he should give him the courtesy of a goodbye. "You're right. Let's get ready and we can make a stop at the school."

Her posture softened. "We should also say goodbye to Timothy Latimer. He did keep that watch safe for you."

The Doctor nodded in agreement.

"What about the house? Do you want to sell it?" Rose asked.

The Doctor thought about it and shook his head. "We can keep it. A little home base we can visit to relax and take it slow for a while when we need to." He appreciated the question for what it was, Rose's way of saying she would travel with him. That staying on Earth while he was out saving civilizations was out of the question.

Rose gave him a bright smile and he realized that was the answer she was hoping for.

* * *

After showing her his en suite and having more fun than should be had in a shower, he watched Rose look over the jeans and jumper the TARDIS set out for her. "I can't wear these to say goodbye to Mr. Rocastle. They're inappropriate."

"You should wear something different to see the headmaster," he agreed. "But honestly, with the adventurous lifestyle we're about to lead, the jeans will be easier to move around in."

Rose looked at the denim in her hands again. "Women really wear these?" she asked skeptically.

The Doctor nodded. "Just forty to fifty years in your future, actually. I know they're mainly for farmers right now, but they become something everyone wears and the style lasts for thousands of years. That makes them an excellent choice for time travelers."

Rose put the jeans back on the bed and slipped on her dress from the day before. "I'll put them on when we get back." She watched the Doctor slip on his suit jacket and felt her breath catch. He had always been handsome to her, no matter what he wore. But something about that pinstriped suit just looked right on him.

The Doctor caught her watching him and sent her a wide grin as he put on the long coat Janis Joplin gave him. "What do you think?"

Rose bit her lip as she looked him over. Seeing the sketch of him in this outfit in his journal hadn't prepared her for the reality. "You look incredible," she admitted as she ran her hands down the lapels of his suit coat.

The Doctor drew her into his arms and pressed his lips to hers for a quick kiss. "Let's go take care of talking to the headmaster and saying our goodbyes to Tim." He linked their hands and smiled widely at her. "Allons-y, Rose Tyler!"

* * *

Headmaster Rocastle had been a quick farewell. He shook John's hand – while eyeing his strange apparel warily – kissed Rose on the cheek, and wished them both all the best.

Timothy Latimer jumped up from the desk in his room when he saw the Doctor and Rose standing outside his open door. He looked back and forth between the pair a bit nervously. "Mrs. Tyler. Doctor?"

The Doctor smiled and nodded, then stepped forward to shake the boy's hand, since he was staring at him like he was some sort of mythical creature. "Thank you, for all of your help, Mr. Latimer. I'm safe and here now because you protected the watch for me."

Tim smiled a bit uncertainly and then focused on Rose. "Mrs. Tyler, are you okay?" His gaze shifted quickly to the Time Lord and then back to the former librarian.

Rose smiled softly at the protective tone to the question and the meaning of his shifting look. "Yes, Mr. Latimer. I'm very happy and everything is as it should be." She stepped forward and drew him into a hug. "Keep being a remarkable young man, Timothy Latimer. The world needs more gentlemen like you."

The Doctor took in the blushing man with a small smile. On Rose's part, it was purely a sort of sisterly affection. He knew Timothy held some affection for Rose as well, he just didn't know if it was brotherly or if the boy had a crush on her. Not that it mattered. Tim was just a boy, Rose was the Doctor's wife, and they were leaving this place and time. He pulled out the fob watch that had contained his essence for the better part of three months. "I'd like you to have this, Tim."

Latimer looked at it with wide, nervous eyes and the Doctor shook his head. "It's just a watch now. It won't talk to you any longer. But maybe it could be a sort of good luck charm. After all, being stored in that watch allowed me to find Rose." He shot a soft look to the woman smiling back at him. "It was certainly lucky for me. Maybe it could be that for you, as well."

Tim took the watch in his hands and then smiled widely at the two in front of him. "I'll miss having you both around here. But I wish you all the best."

Rose kissed his cheek. "You take care of yourself, Mr. Latimer."

The Doctor's smile widened at the young man's bewildered look. Definitely a crush. He clapped a hand on his shoulder and smiled down at him. "Be brilliant."

* * *

It was a bit past noon when they returned to the TARDIS, so Rose and the Doctor were famished. The Doctor asked if the TARDIS had breakfast waiting for them and smiled as she hummed at him. Apparently, quite the spread was waiting in the library. He sent them into the Vortex while holding onto Rose so she wouldn't end up sprawled on the floor due to a rough take-off.

Rose stepped back as the time ship stabilized. "I think I'll go change into those clothes the TARDIS set out for me. If that's what you think will be best, I should probably get used to wearing them."

The Doctor nodded at her. "Just ask the TARDIS to lead you to our room and she'll show you the way."

Jack was sitting patiently on the jump seat while Rose left. "Doc, I know you need to explain some things to the missus. But could you possibly drop me off for a few days on Hedonica VII? 1913 was rough on this 51st century guy." Jack gave a little disbelieving huff. "For the first time ever, you got more action on an adventure than I did."

"Stop it." The Doctor rolled his eyes, but dutifully set the coordinates. Jack had been exceptionally helpful and he was due a thank you gift for his troubles. The TARDIS landed lightly and the Doctor sent her a mental thanks. Usually the other rooms were more stable than the console room, but he didn't want to take any chances with Rose being new to TARDIS travel.

Jack winked at him as he headed for the doors. "You kids have fun! I'll see you at this spot in one week, Doc."

With Jack gone to relieve some stress, the Doctor sent them back into the Vortex to float along while he and Rose talked. Rose reappeared wearing the jeans and dark green jumper that had been set out earlier. She always looked amazing, but seeing all her curves accentuated instead of hidden by her dresses was a turn on the Doctor hadn't been expecting. He took a second to take her in and then another to clear his head. "How do they feel?"

Rose tugged at the bottom of the jumper. "Honestly, a little bit revealing. But, I'll get used to it."

He took her hand and led Rose down a small corridor and then took a right and stopped at the third door on the right. "I think you might enjoy this. As promised, the library."

He opened a door leading into a beautiful, multi-level, Victorian-era library and Rose gasped. It was enormous and she was instantly in love. "Jo-…I mean Doctor, this is…Oh, I don't even know how to describe it!"

The Doctor didn't mention her slip – as promised – as he led her over to the small sofa, relieved to find fruit, toast, eggs, banana pancakes, and bacon waiting for them along with a pot of tea. "This is where I usually come after an adventure. It helps me relax and unwind."

Rose breathed in the musty smell of old books and listened to the sound of the fire crackling in the fireplace. "I can understand why. It's magnificent in here."

The Doctor felt the TARDIS preen at the compliment and Rose giggled, having picked up on it, too. "We have a lot we need to discuss, love. Time Lords are very different from humans in many ways and I want you to know all the facts. You may not want me anymore once you learn everything."

Rose scooted close enough that their thighs were pressed together. "I told you as long as you were still _you_ , I'd love you. Whatever you have to say won't make me leave, but I do want to know all about you."

The Doctor smiled and leaned in to kiss her. If this went well, he'd be the happiest man in the universe. "You've been taking this all exceedingly well. Even last night's episode was less horrible than I had been imagining. I'm honestly waiting for you to say it's just too much and run screaming."

Rose mulled it over in her head for a second. "It is a lot to take in, I won't pretend it isn't. But I think seeing these things in your journal when you didn't know you were the Doctor, has helped. For instance, I saw sketches of the TARDIS before officially meeting her. It helped me believe I wasn't losing my mind. And when you told me about your dreams, you were really telling me stories from your actual life as the Doctor, weren't you?" The Doctor just nodded and she continued. "Plus, there's you. I have loved and trusted you almost since the moment we met. If you're here, I feel safe. It's made it easier to deal with the surprises as they come."

She was pulled to sit across the Doctor's lap, the position she had been in multiple times with John. It was comfortable and natural to sit like that with him. "You amaze me, you brilliant, beautiful, marvelous woman." He pressed quick kisses to her lips between words, leaving her giggling by the end.

The sight of his favorite banana jam caught his eye. He hadn't been able to enjoy it for months since it wasn't of Earth origin. Reminded that they needed to eat, the Doctor filled a plate with food and had Rose hold the plate while he wielded the fork, feeding both of them so they could stay cuddled as they were. When they had their fill, he put the plate and fork back on the coffee table and turned to Rose. "Do you have any questions you want me to answer first?"

Rose hesitated. There was one question she did have, but she worried it may offend the Doctor. Still, she felt she needed and quite honestly, deserved to hear the answer. "How different are you and John?"

The Doctor had been expecting this question. He noticed her pulse speed up as she asked and rubbed a soothing pattern on her leg as he answered. "John and I are the same person, really. He's a part of me, everything he was capable of, I'm capable of. I like to think of John as me, just edited. If you take away my superior physiology, the TARDIS, and dampen my knowledge of time and space, you get John. All of my values, principles, beliefs, and feelings for you, those are absolutely the same, Rose."

Rose's jaw clenched as she fought with herself over whether to ask her follow-up question or not. It had the potential to break her heart. Finally, her need to know won out. "If…if you had come to 1913 as the Doctor and we had met, would you have loved me?"

The Doctor smiled slightly and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Yes."

Rose narrowed her eyes at him. Her husband was never a one-word answer sort of man. Then the question she really needed to ask dawned on her. "Would we still be married?"

The Doctor's small smile slipped and Rose made to scramble away from him. His silence and guilty expression said just as much as words would have. "Wait, love, wait! Let me explain."

Angry tears were welling in her eyes, but she fought them down and bit her bottom lip to stop its trembling as she stilled, sitting stiffly on the Doctor's lap. "Explain, then," she snapped, something she had never done to him before.

The Doctor squeezed her around the middle, trying to find the words to explain himself. "Rose, I love you. I would have loved you no matter if I was the Doctor or John when we met. Me loving you, was always a constant, something that would have happened regardless. But, I can also be a bit of a coward. Time Lords have very long life spans, and I've had many friends over the centuries. They come into this lifestyle, make themselves special, and then they decide it's time to move on, and they leave. I'm used to friendships ending and never seeing those people again. So, I learned very early on that it would hurt to love anyone and have them leave. I kept everyone at a distance to avoid that."

Rose's posture had softened and relaxed, but she was still keeping herself away from him, so he pushed on. "I would have loved you desperately, just like I do now. I would have been in a 'damned if you do, damned if you don't' situation. It would have broken my hearts to let you go, and broken them to love you freely only to lose you one day. But I would have _tried_ to save my own hearts from breaking, by keeping you at arms' length. Please be assured, now that we are married and I know how beautiful it is, I wouldn't do a thing to change what we have together."

She let out a sigh and allowed herself to cuddle back into the Doctor. "I guess I can understand that. Thank you for being honest with me."

The Doctor smiled softly at her. "Always. Anything else you want to ask?"

Rose shook her head. "I'm sure there'll be plenty of questions. But why don't you start? Some of them may get answered as you talk to me."

For the next several hours, Rose listened attentively as the Doctor was more open than he had ever been with anyone. He told her about Gallifrey, quickly mentioning it was gone before she could ask to see it. He gave a quick overview of Gallifreyan biology, telling her he was telepathic and then promising to come back to that topic later. He let her know about the TARDIS and how she would translate and could communicate if needed. He told her about the woman who had been his wife in name only, relieved she wasn't hurt by the information after hearing what exactly it had entailed. He explained the looms and then told her he had been a father and a grandfather, fondly telling her all about Susan. He told her about his past companions and friends, telling her some of his adventures that stood out from the others. And then he told her about the Time War, admitting to her that he had ended it and in doing so, destroyed his enemies and his own people. He told her how he travelled alone for a long while after that, unwilling to let someone else in until Jack almost ended the human race with a con, and then proved to be a good guy. He told her about some of their adventures and then mentioned the Family and how they came to be in 1913. "And I'm so glad we landed there." He muttered as he stroked his fingers through her hair.

Rose sighed and leaned into the caress. "Me, too."

"Alright, I'm sure there are plenty. So, questions?"

Rose furrowed her brow while she organized her thoughts. "You're going to live longer than me. Are you sure you want this? Me?"

The Doctor closed his eyes, unwilling to even think about this. "I know I'll lose you one day." He unconsciously tightened his embrace, as if he could keep her with him if he just held on tight enough. "But I already love you so completely that I can't envision my life without you in it. I will gladly take every second you can give me. Even if it means I spend hundreds of years missing you, I'll still have all of our precious memories to think back on. I would rather treasure what we have now, than spend the rest of my life regretting not seizing the moments we have."

Rose blinked away her tears and cleared her throat before her next question. "You said your people used looms, so would we be able to have children?"

The Doctor's breath caught and the despair he heard in her question caused an answering flood of longing in him. Children with Rose would be wonderful. "We could, but we would need to do a little medical jiggery pokery to make it work."

"Jiggery pokery?"

"I would need to give both of us certain chemicals to make sure your eggs could receive my sperm. Then, there are certain vitamins and minerals I would have to inject you with to make sure you could sustain the pregnancy. It would take some work, but would be so worth it to have a child with you." He laid his hand on her flat stomach, smiling softly at the thought of her stomach swelling with the product of their love and tiny versions of the two of them roaming their ship.

Rose smiled at the answer and began carding her fingers through his hair. "Would they be more like you? Would you have them after I'm gone?"

The Doctor let out a shuddering breath while he tried to focus on the science and not the dismal thoughts her questions were causing. "Gallifreyan biology is superior to human biology, so the children would probably inherit mostly Gallifreyan biology. There's no more Gallifrey, so they wouldn't be able to regenerate. Only one life, but a Gallifreyan lifespan is close to a thousand years."

Rose let out a relieved breath at his answer. She didn't think anything could make her happier than giving the Doctor children, a family to love that would love him in return, long after she was gone. She pushed the thought to the back of her mind. They'd only been married for a short time. They could think of children later.

"You're nine hundred and you've never been with anyone…intimately?" This question weighed heavily on her mind. It seemed preposterous that he hadn't been curious at least a few times.

The Doctor shook his head. "Honestly, I never have until I married my beautiful wife," he told her, gazing at her with a look full of adoration and love. "Time Lords looked down on physical relationships and I wanted to keep a distance from all of my companions. So, sex was never high on my agenda. I see it a bit like other human vices, like cigarettes or alcohol. If you never have it, you never know what it's like, so you never crave it."

Rose nodded at his explanation. It seemed sensible enough to her. "You mentioned you were telepathic. Was there telepathic intimacy?"

She had just opened the door to the conversation he had been both anticipating and dreading. "There is such a thing as telepathic intimacy, but I've never engaged in it. To do that, the two individuals would need to bond and that is permanent."

"What is a bond?"

The Doctor took a moment to think about the best way to describe it. "A bond is a telepathic link between you and another person that is always open. You can see their thoughts and emotions if you concentrate and they can see yours. You can never lie to your bondmate and you can never hide things. It's incredibly intimate and can never be broken. It's the ultimate commitment and act of love and trust."

Rose was blinking back tears. "It sounds beautiful. But what if you wanted to surprise your bondmate with something? They'd know about it."

The Doctor shook his head. "You can tell them not to look. Like I said, there's a great deal of trust involved."

"And I'm not telepathic, so we could never have that?"

Shocked, the Doctor's head snapped up to look at Rose. There was no mistaking the longing in that question. "You'd want that?"

She shrugged. "Told you it sounded beautiful and I completely love and trust you. Would you want it?"

"With you?" The Doctor grinned slightly. "Oh, yes. And the telepathy may not be an issue."

Now, Rose's head snapped up. "What?"

"Remember, I said no one could hear the TARDIS's song but me?"

Rose blinked at him. "Yeah, but I can hear her, too."

"And now I think it's time we head to the medbay."


	25. Chapter 25

Thank you for sticking with me through this story and for all the kindness that has come my way while posting it. I adore you all and hope you enjoy this last chapter. Hugs!

NSFW

* * *

Chapter 25

* * *

Rose dutifully sat on the examination table in the medbay as the Doctor, poked, prodded, and scanned her with various alien instruments. He had decided as long as they were there to go ahead and get her baseline physical out of the way. She saw him hesitate slightly with a device that looked like a helmet. "That's going to check for telepathy, isn't it?"

"Yes." The Doctor placed it on her head and wished for the universe to give him this. He watched the various areas of her brain light up on the screen and then saw the small icon at the bottom turn green. His hearts skipped and then sped up as he stared at the small green icon. He didn't blink and didn't breathe until he noticed his respiratory bypass had kicked in. "You're telepathic," he whispered.

Excitement rose in his chest and he turned to Rose with a beaming smile, tugged the helmet from her head, and pulled her into a crushing embrace. "You're telepathic! Oh, Rose! You'd have to develop it, but it's there. We can have that bond now. Truly have it, not just the one-sided bond I thought it might be before. We can be joined in the ways my people used to be, before they decided love was an emotion they didn't need. Pompous old fools." Even while he insulted his species, the smile stayed firmly on his face.

With the Doctor standing in between her legs to hug her while she was still perched on the examination table, Rose felt the change as it happened. The Doctor pressed forward slightly and Rose gasped as she could feel his length hardening against her. "Rose, you're telepathic," he gasped into her ear. "I really need you right now."

Her fingers were already fumbling with his trousers. "Anytime you need me, you have me." She pushed his trousers and pants down, freeing his erection so she could wrap her hand around him.

The Doctor enjoyed her attentions for just a few seconds before quickly peeling her jeans and modern knickers off. He could tell from the pheromones she was dumping left and right that she was ready, so he wasted no time in sliding into her. He hooked both of her knees over his elbows so he could thrust deeper and faster into her.

Rose gasped and flailed as the new position threw her off balance. She managed to grab onto his shoulders and pulled until she had her arms looped around his neck. There had been times when John's control had snapped, but with the position and the absence of the Doctor's control now, it was unlike anything she had experienced before. "Oh, God," was flung from her mouth involuntarily. But the whimper that came from the Doctor and the harder thrust that accompanied it, made her reservations about talking during sex evaporate.

"Faster. Please." It was just a whisper, but with his superior hearing, the Doctor heard and obliged.

The Doctor knew he wouldn't last much longer. With Rose muttering 'please' and 'I love you' and 'Doctor' into his ear in breathy tones, it was a wonder he hadn't come yet. He shifted her slightly and when she moaned, he knew he was hitting her exactly where he wanted to. A few thrusts later, Rose clenched down hard, whimpering and the Doctor paused, giving her a few seconds to catch her breath. She pulled his head to hers for a kiss and her thumbs brushed against his temples. It was barely more than a passing glance, but the brief touch of her mind to his caused the Doctor to gasp and buck hard as his release claimed him. He couldn't help a few shallow, lazy thrusts that drew aftershocks from both of them. "I don't think you have any clue how crazy it makes me when you talk like that," the Doctor rumbled in her ear.

Rose shuddered and moaned softly as he continued lazily rocking into her. "I think I may have some idea."

"Then, you accidentally touched your mind to mine." The Doctor groaned at the memory. "God, Rose. You felt incredible." He drew her into a slow kiss, imitating the lazy rocking of his hips with slow sweeps of his tongue. When he pulled back and slipped from her, Rose slumped forward into him.

She clung to him, delighted and a little bewildered. "So, telepathic? I think I'm going to have more questions, now."

The Doctor laughed joyfully and quickly tucked himself away. As soon as Rose was dressed again, he swept her into a bridal carry, practically running to the library to answer all her questions.

* * *

The next day, Rose rummaged through the wardrobe room, looking for something suitable to wear for her Time Lord wedding with the Doctor. He was off in another part of the room looking for a tuxedo. He had complained about it at length, saying that nothing good happened to him in a tuxedo and that there really wasn't a dress code for Gallifreyan weddings, and if there had been, a tuxedo would not have been the garment of choice.

She had understood, but couldn't keep the disappointment from her face. _"I just wanted to dress nice for both weddings."_ As soon as she had uttered the phrase, all the fight drained from the Doctor and he had set off in search of a proper tuxedo.

Now as she browsed the racks – trying to not get distracted by all the choices – while she searched for a wedding dress, the TARDIS seemed to nudge her in a certain direction. Lights flickered excitedly around two items that were hanging on a rack by themselves. Rose fingered the dark gold silky-feeling dress. It was plain, but the thick, soft material and the excitement of the TARDIS made something about the garment seem almost sacred. She looked at the crimson, velvet robe with gold swirls and embellishments hanging next to it and ran her hand over it. "You think I should wear these?"

The TARDIS lights came on brightly around the rack and she felt a strong mental prod from the ship. "I'll take that as a strong 'yes', shall I?" She giggled and began to change, hoping the TARDIS knew what she was doing.

She finished and blew a breath through her lips. The clothes were heavy, but she felt regal and beautiful in the fine silk and velvet covering her. She noticed the large stiff piece sitting on a table, that looked like it would go over her shoulders and up behind her head. She glanced at the ceiling. "Should I wear that, too?"

The answer from the ship was to darken all the lights around the piece and make a sound that sounded almost exactly like a raspberry.

Rose shook her head at the ship's behavior. "That's a 'no', then." She took another calming breath. She had a strong feeling she knew where these clothes came from and just hoped the Doctor didn't get angry with her for wearing them.

* * *

The Doctor finally found a bowtie and looped it around his neck, pausing when he heard Rose's footsteps echoing across the floor. He waited while she seemed to stop and gather her wits just around the corner, and then all his breath left him and his thoughts stopped as she stepped into view.

After a few seconds, some distant part of his mind registered that his eyes were burning and his cheeks were wet, but in his state of shock, surprise, and awe the Doctor couldn't piece together what those two sensations meant.

Rose fidgeted and her own eyes watered when she noticed the Doctor's tears. "The TARDIS told me to wear this. Please don't be angry. If you want me to take it off, just let me know," she whispered, worried she was hurting him by having the clothes on.

The Doctor stumbled forward and ran wide, watery eyes over her before reverently fingering the robes and then tugging her into a tight hug. "I can't tell you…," he panted raggedly into her neck, "…how many times I've wished I could see you in traditional Gallifreyan wedding robes since yesterday."

He stepped back and ran his hands down his face as he finally realized he was crying. "Where did you find these? I wasn't aware they were even on the TARDIS."

Rose gestured vaguely back in the direction she had come from. "They were on a rack by themselves and the lights kept flickering around them. I took that to mean I should wear them."

There was a gentle prod in his mind and he reluctantly turned from the vision before him to see what his ship was trying to tell him. On a rack to his left, a crimson, velvet robe identical to the one Rose was wearing, was hanging. And next to it, was a dark gold shirt and pants to be worn underneath, complete with a belt bearing the infinity symbol.

He let out a surprised sob and turned to Rose, making a shoo-ing motion with his hands. "My turn. Go wait in the console room."

* * *

The sound of footsteps and the swish of heavy fabric sounded from the corridor and Rose held her breath as the Doctor stepped into view. She brought her clasped hands up in front of her beaming smile. "You look beautiful." Something about him in that outfit made her desire swoop through her strongly.

The Doctor smiled shyly and offered her his arm. "Your first trip to another planet. Are you ready, love?"

"Always."

"You're about to knowingly marry an alien. Are you ready for that?"

Rose smiled brightly at him. "As long as that alien is you."

* * *

They stepped out onto a rocky planet, creatures flying overhead and Rose looked around her wide-eyed. "This is incredible."

The Doctor took her hand as he led her farther away from the TARDIS. "This planet remains uninhabited, apart from them," he pointed at the stingray-like creatures, "forever. This place could be just ours, our private place to come and remember today."

Rose took in the red landscape before her. It was bare of any vegetation she could see, but there was still a beauty to it. "I love it," she murmured.

The Doctor stepped forward to take her hands and gave them a gentle squeeze. "Are you sure you want to marry me?"

Rose snapped her gaze from the rocky spires to the worried eyes of her husband. She freed her hands from his grasp and gently cupped his cheeks. "Of course, I am. My Doctor." She lifted up to touch her forehead to his and then kissed him softly.

With a grin the Doctor pulled a braided cord of crimson and gold from the inside of his robe and instructed her as they bound their hands together. "We have no witnesses, so we can skip the 'consent' portion."

He drew a breath and gazed at Rose, letting all his love and devotion shine through at her. He repeated the vows from their human wedding, since they so closely resembled the Gallifreyan vows and would mean more to his wife. "I love you with all that I am, all I have been, and all I ever shall be – with all my heart and soul – and now I offer my proof. This ring," he ran a finger over her wedding ring, "is the offering of my being, all my heart and soul, all I have and all I ever will have. It is yours, as I am yours – as I always have been yours and always will be yours. Forever."

Rose bit her wobbling, bottom lip and took a breath to steady herself as she repeated her vows back to him. As soon as the last syllable left her lips, the Doctor sealed his mouth to hers, pouring every ounce of his feelings for her into the kiss. Rose was aware of his gentle fingers untying their hands and then strong arms were pulling her closer and her hands were free to plunge into his hair.

She wasn't sure how long he kissed her, but when he pulled away she had to struggle to get air into her lungs and her vision was a bit hazy around the edges. Her perspective shifted as it had in the past and she didn't bother asking as he carried her into the TARDIS.

He set her on her feet and wrapped his arms around her. "Safely across the threshold, again."

Soft music started to play from the TARDIS and the Doctor adjusted his hold as he swept her around the console room. Rose set her head on his shoulder and sighed at the feeling of soft velvet under her cheek. "I love you."

The Doctor pressed his lips to her forehead. "I love you, too." He laughed softly after a few seconds. "There's the bonding still to do before we're completely married in the Time Lord fashion, but I don't want to let you out of these robes."

Rose giggled and lifted her head to kiss him. "Anytime you want to see me in these robes, all you have to do is ask. Now that you know the TARDIS has them."

The Doctor nodded. "True." He continued to sway her until the song ended and then took her hand. "Let's go, Rose Tyler."

* * *

Rose sat cross-legged in front of the Doctor on their bed. The day before had been a whirlwind of information and Rose was still trying to process it all. But there were three things she was sure of. First, they were still just as completely in love as they had been when he was human. Second, she was telepathic. And third, she wanted to bond with him and love him as deeply and unconditionally as possible. They had changed back into normal clothes and as they sat on the bed, she was thankful. She would have hated to put creases into the priceless Gallifreyan robes they had been wearing.

Now, she was waiting for the Doctor's instructions on forming their bond. "I'm going to place my fingertips on your temples. There will be a slight pressure and then I'll be in your mind with you. You'll need to do the same with me. Just put your fingertips on my temples and once I'm in your mind, you can enter mine. I'll probably have to sustain most of the bond at first, but as you get more practice it'll even out. We'll practice making barriers and letting each other in later."

Rose nodded and then sucked in a breath as there was a pressure and then relief and love came pouring over her. Warmth, contentment, and joy swept through her with a strong undercurrent of desire and she smiled. "Am I feeling you?"

The Doctor felt a tremulous smile tugging his lips. He was smiling widely earlier, so excited to have this bond with her. And now that he felt how much she truly loved him, he was brought to tears. "That's me," he answered. "I can feel you, too."

He took another few seconds to bask in her love and then turned back to the task at hand. _'I'm going to talk to you like this now. Can you hear me?'_

' _Yes,'_ came Rose's awed telepathic voice.

' _I'm going to begin threading our minds together. Tell me if anything hurts. You should feel a slight tingling, but if it hurts, I need to stop.'_

' _Okay.'_

As their bond drew closer and closer to completion, Rose could feel the Doctor's love for her growing. _'It's because as the bond is created, the emotions of each other become less muted.'_

The Doctor let out a choked sob as his fingers shook on Rose's temples. _'Rose, how can you love me so much? After I told you all the horrible things I've done.'_

' _You were brave enough to save the universe, at such great cost to yourself. You did those horrible things to save creation. How could I not love such a selfless, remarkable man? I loved you long before I knew about those things. And now that I know what you've endured to make sure others live blissfully happy lives in ignorance of that nightmare, I love you even more.'_

There was a bright light and then Rose felt like her mind was somehow more open, a little bigger. She dropped her hands when she felt the Doctor do the same and opened her eyes to look at him. His eyes were damp and he was biting his lower lip. _'Can you still feel me?'_ came the hesitant question.

Rose smiled brightly through her own tears. _'Absolutely.'_

Within seconds, they were a tangle of limbs. The Doctor was sprawled across Rose, kissing her languidly as he slowly rutted against her. Rose had her hands kneading and squeezing his bum as she encouraged his movements against her. They were still completely clothed as they rocked together.

Currently, the Doctor was filling Rose's mind with images of them making love in various rooms of the TARDIS, on various planets, and in various time periods. Some of the things they were doing, she had no clue what was happening, but from the tone of the Doctor's thoughts, she knew it was pleasurable. He had her so worked up she wasn't sure she would need to be unclothed to reach her peak. The physical sensations were amazing, but coupled with the telepathic feedback of their arousal and pleasure feeding off of each other, it was almost overwhelming.

The Doctor finally pulled back and grinned slyly at her, knowing what he had just done to her. However, his plan had backfired slightly. Teasing Rose's arousal higher had done the same to him now that they were bonded. Even though he was trying to appear as though he had the upper hand, he was practically trembling as he quickly wrestled her clothes off her.

Rose returned the favor, pushing and pulling at his layers. He quickly slid into her and began a punishing rhythm that caused their headboard to bang against the wall. It was only a few thrusts before both of them were falling over the edge, having gotten so close before shedding their clothes.

The Doctor rolled over so Rose was resting on his chest while staying joined with her. As they caught their breath, Rose sat up and looked at him in surprise as he lengthened and grew inside of her once more. The Doctor grinned smugly. "Two hearts means almost no recovery time."

Rose grinned impishly back at him. "That's brilliant." She rocked slowly on him while he continued to expand, thinking about how timid she had been in the beginning. But due to the comfort and love between the two of them, her reservations had been short-lived. And now that they had this bond, she could feel exactly how her movements made him feel, could tell what he wanted her to do, and knowing how much he enjoyed certain things, made her all the more willing to do them for him.

This time was much slower as Rose rocked above him. He enjoyed letting her take control for a few moments before pulling her down for a kiss. As he kissed her, he rolled over so he was back on top and used the hand still on her lower back to lift her hips.

This time wasn't really about completion for either of them. They wanted it and they knew they'd get there, but what was more important to them right now was just feeling the other one. Being joined in the ways that showed their love for each other.

As the Doctor pulled out and pushed back in, he caressed the bond and Rose shivered. She reciprocated – surprising the Doctor – and soon the slow build-up had been transformed into striving for the end. The Doctor touched another part of the bond and Rose shattered, clenching around him. The tight clenching pulled him with her and he pulsed his release deep into her, extending Rose's orgasm.

He maneuvered them so they were facing each other side by side, and still intimately connected. He leaned forward and whispered a chiming word into Rose's ear. She felt it flow through her, leaving a cool sensation all through her insides before it settled alongside her half of the bond, storing itself in her mind and her heart. She shivered at the sensation. "What was that?"

The Doctor gazed deep into her eyes. "My name. My real name. It is only known by myself and you. You can't tell anyone else what it is and you can only use it when we are completely alone, here in the TARDIS."

"It's beautiful. I love you," she whispered and then added his true name.

With a gasp, the Doctor kissed her deeply and slowly. Hearing his name rolling off her tongue was the most unbelievable sound he had ever heard. He pulled back and began to press his lips softly and lazily all over her face as she began to drift off to sleep. He chuckled at her attempts to keep up even as her movements faded into nothingness. He pulled out of her and she frowned at the loss. "You can't sleep with me there, love."

Her frown deepened into a pout. "Can, too," she mumbled drowsily and then finally gave into her exhaustion.

The Doctor couldn't really blame her. They had started everything right after breakfast with the hand-fasting, then the telepathic bond, which took several hours – though it hadn't felt like it – to complete. A heated snogging session that progressed into a shag and then making love all while bonded. No wonder the poor woman was tired. It was mentally and physically tiring and even the Doctor, a trained telepath with superior physiology, was a little tired. Though it was still early evening, he closed his eyes and joined Rose in a nap.

* * *

The Doctor watched the Rosette Nebula through the viewing screen in the ceiling of his and Rose's bedroom. As Rose slept on his chest, he carded his fingers through her hair and every now and then couldn't help himself as he cuddled her just the slightest bit closer. He was so lucky to have found someone, after nine hundred lonely years, who was his other half. It was going to devastate him when he inevitably lost her, but they had many happy years before coming to that bridge.

The TARDIS made a strange noise at him, almost a snort, and he rose a curious eyebrow at his time ship. _'What?'_

She had been trying to get her Thief to the planet and time where the Family would be for ages, so that she could take him to 1913 to hide, so that he could meet her Wolf. He had been rather stubborn about it, too. She couldn't tell him in words, but she managed to send enough images and feelings to him that he understood. She had seen this timeline since he stole her and took off amongst the stars. The timing hadn't been right until after the Time War. That had to happen before he could meet Rose.

He hated to admit it, but the TARDIS was right. The Time Lords would never have recognized their marriage.

She had brought him to the one human who could share in his life fully. One who had untapped telepathic potential and the depth of love and bravery that would be needed to share in his lifestyle and match his lifespan.

The Doctor's eyes went round and huge at that. _'What's going to happen to her?'_

The TARDIS went quiet. There were so many timelines she could see that resulted in her Wolf and Thief living a shared forever. But she wasn't sure which one would happen yet and it wasn't time for her Thief to know about it. He would need to live it himself. She sent him a soothing hum, apologizing for making him worry and assuring him that everything would work out for the best.

* * *

Rose and the Doctor adventured through time and space, learning more about each other and falling more in love with every day that passed. After the tortuous year with the Master, Jack decided to stay on Earth. It had been a fun three years, but it was time he found his own life to live.

They were reluctant to admit it, but they were a bit relieved Jack left. Watching the Doctor's oldest friend turned psychopath die, after being imprisoned by him for months, they needed some time to themselves.

They dealt with Gallifrey almost breaking through the time lock it was in and then had to figure out the repercussions of Rose's time as Bad Wolf, a title she had earned during that adventure.

They had always been an amorous couple, but the Doctor apparently had his sex drive set extremely high since he was constantly dragging Rose into empty cupboards, landing on uninhabited planets, or stumbling across rooms in the TARDIS – always with a 'hey, since we're here...' – where he apparently had fantasies of shagging Rose. And Rose was just fine with that.

They had millennia ahead of them now, thousands of years filled with love, children, and adventure. They would endure regeneration and the pain of adventures gone awry and lives lost. But they would always have each other and they would always love each other more than they thought possible the day before. They would often visit the little cottage in Farringham, reminiscing about how they met and fell in love, looking back on the beginning of their relationship and the innocence of it with fondness.

The TARDIS patted herself on the metaphorical back for a job well done. Her Thief and her Wolf needed each other and she had pulled the timelines and changed her Thief's coordinates many times to make it work. As she looked into the future now, she saw so much light and happiness that she couldn't help the giddy lilt to her natural hum. The three of them would always be together – well, until the babies started arriving – and then they would all be one huge, happy family. And the TARDIS couldn't be more proud of herself for making it possible.

* * *

NOTES: I'll admit, I'm sad to see this come to an end, but I have other projects I've been dying to get to. Of the 17 story ideas I have sitting in a file, 11 of them are partially written, so I guess we'll see what gets finished first with my completely sporadic writing style. And seriously, the world needs more Ten in Gallifreyan robes. The image in my head is _gorgeous_!


End file.
